2023-08-26 11:35:20
Milos Vesic massages Karin Weiß’ hand with turquoise rubber gloves. Then he measures the blood pressure of the nursing home resident – a daily routine for the geriatric nurses in the Eichholzgarten building in Sindelfingen. Weiss is sitting at a wooden table in her room, Vesic looks at the device for a moment. Then he turns to the three trainees on the other side of the table.
Behind him, stuffed animals are lined up on the bed, the shelves have been cleaned, and framed photos hang on the walls. Vesic notes that his blood pressure is 181. “What does that mean?” “That’s a bit too high,” answers Desara Tollia, one of the three trainees. Correct, but there is a simple explanation for this, explains Vesic. After all, Ms. Weiß is a diabetic.
The flying visit to Karin Weiß does not last long, but staff are still needed for such a routine visit. And that is precisely what is lacking in Germany. Nationwide, there are 33 unemployed for every 100 registered positions for nursing staff. And this gap in staff will only increase in the future.
“We ran into the catastrophe with our eyes wide open”
An analysis by the Federal Employment Agency states that employment in nursing that is subject to social insurance contributions has recently increased by only one percent compared to the previous year – this is a major problem, especially in view of demographic change. The Federal Statistical Office predicts that the number of people in need of care in Germany will increase by more than a third by 2055.
“We ran into the catastrophe with our eyes open,” says Susanne Scheck, chairwoman of the Württemberg Sisterhood and chairwoman of the Baden-Württemberg State Nursing Council. “And we’re running out of time.”
Like many others, the Württemberg Sisterhood, which belongs to the German Red Cross, relies on foreign specialists. But waiting for trained nursing staff was not enough. So the sisterhood decided on an unusual – and complex – path: they are already looking for applicants from abroad for the training.
nurse instead of a lawyer
Desara Tollia is originally from Albania and studied law there. Despite completing her studies, she was unable to find a job. During that time she looked after her grandfather and as a result developed “a helper syndrome”, as she says. Tollia hoped for a better future as a nurse in Germany – and applied for the generalist training of the Württemberg Sisterhood.
“Everyone gets their chance”: training manager Ulrike Moor: Photo: Michael Hinz
Steiia Nakasenge became aware of the nursing assistant training at Haus Eichholzgarten online. She had already been at the nursing school in Uganda for three years and then worked as a nurse for two years. She did not see a future there, her goal was to care for the elderly in Germany. When asked why, Nakasenge speaks directly about the motto of her nursing school in Uganda: “Love to serve.” And smiles sheepishly. But why in Germany? More future security. The others see it similarly; the training in Germany offered them the best prospects.
The Württemberg Sisterhood offers one to two year training as a nursing assistant, which can be followed by general training. After four to five years, an applicant becomes a fully trained nurse. In other words, it takes longer than if interested parties did the usual three-year training course to become a nursing specialist.
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