The training as a nurse and the profession offer varied tasks as well as the opportunity to do good. Ultimately, the nurse cares for, helps and supports sick people in the hospital and assists doctors with many activities in everyday life. In the following article you will find all the information at a glance about the training, profession and salary of a nurse.
Nursing profession in Germany
Nurse, correctly called "health care worker" is a health care profession and includes care as well as care and counseling of people in need of care. These can be treated in inpatient settings as well as outpatient settings.
To the care belongs also the assistance with medical measures and order of the treating physician. This makes the nurse a significant part in the health care system and the care of patients. The training as a nurse is varied, because after the basic nursing training, there are a variety of specializations in which training can be completed. After successful specialized further training one is entitled beyond that the occupation designation "specialized health and nurse" to carry. The training usually takes three years. Must be completed at a state-approved nursing school. At the end, there is a state examination that must be passed in order to successfully complete training.
Possible places of work for a nurse after completing training are hospitals, nursing homes, retirement homes, sanatoriums, hospices, residential homes for people with disabilities, health insurance companies or outpatient care services. Due to demographic changes and an aging society, the demand will always grow over the coming years.
Requirements nurse training
Although training to become a nurse is very popular, especially among women (women make up over 95% of the workforce), this profession is not for everyone – or every-woman. The strain, both physical and mental, can be great. The constant contact with mostly sick people can be a great enrichment, but can also be a hard test of endurance.
Before starting this training, you have to be aware of what you are facing. A fear of syringes or sensitivity in the field of hygiene should not be present in this profession. Formality is a basic requirement for training as a health care professional-. Nurse a secondary school diploma. If you only have a secondary school diploma, you must be able to prove that you have at least two years of work experience. There is no minimum age for this training. Not mandatory, but regularly requested, are internships in this field beforehand.
Nurse training
The training to become a nurse is a combination of theoretical instruction at the nursing school and practical instruction in the hospital. The training lasts a total of 3 years full-time. Part-time training is also possible, this lasts 4 years or sometimes even 5 years.
Theoretical instruction at the nursing school lasts a total of 2.100 hours. What diseases. What are their causes? – Diagnosis and treatment of diseases – Prevention of diseases – Assisting doctors during rounds, treatments and operations – Entering fever curves (cf. Table blood prere values) – carrying out injections (z.B. Subcutaneous injection or intramuscular injection) – Other nursing techniques – First aid performance in emergencies and wound care – Admission of patients and documentation of patient cases – Determination of nursing needs and preparation of nursing care plans – Involvement of the family and social environment of the person to be cared for – Legal framework of nursing care
The theoretical knowledge acquired is actively applied in the practical part of the training in the hospital. The practical training part lasts a total of 2.500 hours and is performed in the areas of internal medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, surgery, geriatrics and neurology. The aim is to get to know all areas accordingly as part of the training and to care for people of all ages.
Nurse duties and activities
The tasks and activities of the nurse are very diverse. In essence, nurses look after and care for sick people in inpatient facilities as well as on an outpatient basis, as described above.
This includes the following tasks of the nurse in detail:
Carry out basic care measures for sick, disabled or other persons in need of care, for example: establish personal contact, inform about upcoming nursing measures, bed / position patients as well as help with personal hygiene measures and activities of daily living as required, for example washing or bathing, washing hair or getting up and walking. Carry out measures of treatment care, special care and (care) measures in special situations, for example: observe patients after operations or therapies with regard to appearance, appetite, sleep, state of consciousness and the like or measure temperature, blood prere, pulse, body weight as well as recognize and assess physical, mental and social needs and problems of the patients, carry out medical prescriptions, among other things administer medications and injections. Collaborate with physicians, For example, participate in rounds and meetings or assist with medical procedures, such as surgical procedures. Plan, coordinate, document and secure nursing measures, for example: determine nursing needs, assist in nursing planning, carry out and coordinate nursing and treatment processes, and communicate findings to physicians and specialists. Organize and manage, For example, fill out meal orders, fill out material requisitions, monitor material inventory, and manage medications as directed. Involved in education and training, For example, supervising students in practical training or instructing and supervising nursing students, interns and assistants.
Source and detailed information is available from the employment agency.
Is the training as a nurse worthwhile?
Does the hard work of a nurse pay off in earnings? Considering the strenuous duties of health-. nurse, the earnings should also be correspondingly.
And the good news is that nurses are paid relatively well even during their training. In particular, if the training provider is bound by the terms of the collective agreement. As a rule, especially in the case of state institutions, this is the collective agreement for the public service (TVoD-B).
However, there are unfortunately large salary differences in Germany. This means that nurses at companies that are not bound by any collective agreement can earn considerably less than their colleagues within TVoD-B.
Nurse earnings in training
Looking at the collective agreement, already in the first year the salary of a nurse in training is quite good in comparison. Here are approx. € 950,00 to € 1.150.00 at the end on the pay slip. In addition, this amount increases in each year of training by approx. € 50.00 to € 100.00.
Of course, there are certain fluctuations due to the training company. Especially in private facilities the earnings can be lower. It is not a matter of course to expect a salary of just under € 800 in the first year of an apprenticeship.
Starting salary nurse
Even after training, salaries continue to depend primarily on the company in question. If the employment relationship is based on the collective wage agreement for the public sector, the starting salary is on average about € 33.000.00 per year. Depending on the area of responsibility, it is therefore possible to start your career with a salary of € 2.800,00 up to € 2.900.00 gross per month.
Further increases occur later with the number of years in the profession, but also with further training and education. This is also the case with TVoD-P, where a nurse is usually paid a salary of classified at pay group 7 and level 2 for new hires. In the following salary table of the TVoD-P, it can be seen that with pay group 7 and step 2, this means a starting salary of € 2.880 gross is paid.
The following chart shows the salary table of the TVoD-P, which is used for the nurse salary:
Source: VKA TVoD as of April 2021
Salary nurse
Depending on professional experience, the nurse's salary then first rises through an advancement in the steps – not in the pay grades. As described, employees are assigned to step 2 when hired. With a professional experience of at least 2 years the classification takes place into the step 3.
In this way, an average monthly salary of approximately € 3 per month can be achieved in the further course of training.500,00 gross with several years of professional experience and a jump to pay grade 8. A jump to a higher pay group can be achieved through appropriate further and advanced training.
Those who even qualify for a management position in a higher pay group can later even earn up to € 3.800.00 gross per month calculate. And that's each without any supplements or allowances. This is granted, for example, for night shifts, but on the other hand also for shifts on Sundays and holidays.
Although differences in earnings between public employers subject to the collective bargaining agreement and church or private institutions should be noted, the nurse salary is comparatively attractive in the collective bargaining agreements. Nurses fulfill an important function – that must also be remunerated.
As already with the training it looks in the private sector also again differently. Especially since temporary work is now playing an increasingly important role in nursing. Non-tariff salaries here can thus be comparatively very low at € 1.800 to € 2.200 gross come.
Are there different nurse collective agreements?
A collective agreement that is particularly important for nurses is the VKA TVoD-P shown above.
In addition to this, however, there are other collective agreements such as:
Jobs for nurses
Due to the high demand for nurses in Germany, there are correspondingly many nurse vacancies on job boards such as Medi-Karriere. In addition, generalists also offer job opportunities in this environment.
The top 3 cities where the correctly designated health and nurses are sought are Berlin, Munich and Hamburg. About 15 % of the advertisements on major job boards are divided between these three cities.
In general, however, nurses are sought throughout Germany in large cities, as well as in smaller towns and rural areas.
Nurses are an important part of the healthcare system
Whether as an assistant in the operating room, as a support in the clinic or as a support for a person in need of care. Nurses do very big work that not all people are willing to do and not all people can do. All too often, this service is not appreciated because this valuable work is taken for granted.
What is your opinion at least on the financial appreciation of the work of nurses? Is the salary justified, since it is generally only a training profession or is the salary not high enough according to the performance that is provided in many cases? Of course, at this point it is also necessary to distinguish between collectively agreed remuneration. Distinguish between non-pay scale compensation. We look forward to your opinion.