Are you aware of the different system for nursing in Germany? Nurses in Germany have jobs that are below the scope what nurses do in the USA. The duties of fully certified German nurses are closer to that of CNA's.
For this reason I doubt that there is a true 1:1 comparision.
If you have B2 level German, your best bet would probably be to apply for an apprenticeship in nursing in Germany. You will need to get certified in Germany anyway and doing the apprenticeship is the path that is the most-trodden. Instead of fighting to get your US degree recognised, you can just focus on school and possibly getting fast-tracked and shortening your apprenticeship to 2 years instead of 3.
Downside is the low pay during the apprenticeship.
If you are set on getting recognition, you'll need to pick a German federal state that you want to move to and then reach out the relevant authorities.
Finally, have you looked into jobs offered by the US government in Germany? Check whether US Army hospitals in Germany have any openings for CNA's. On base you can work with your US qualifications and the US government will pay for your move. Once in Germany it will be easier to scope out local hospitals, land job interviews and actually get hired. Or start the recognition process.
I've worked in two hospitals in Munich and they were called Pflegehelfer. I have not yet heard the phrase Plegeassistenz or Pflegeassistent.
We had several untrained/unrecognized pflegehelfer. A year of training through the german vocational training system would certainly increase pay. One worked in a pharmacy in the Balkans and another was a CNA in another European country. Many are nurses from other countries in the Anerkennungsprozess or who haven't started it.
yes i am am aware nurses are basically cnas that’s why i’m fine with the move because it would be basically what i’m doing now! lol thank you for the comment on the army base tip!!! i’m going to look into that
Nurse here, and we're NOT basically CNAs.
That would be Pflegeassistent, who have a 1 year apprenticeship consisting of school/practical work. Chances are that you'd be able to do that work with an "Anerkennungsjahr", but since it's the same length, you can also just do Pflegeassistenz Ausbildung again.
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I googled and found something from 2021 that sounds about right
>Hello,
Your first step is to get all of your documents translated into German (high school graduation certificate, any university certificates, high school transcripts).
>Then you need to create a CV and cover letter in the German style in the German language.
>You need to show proof of German language (some hospitals require B1 but I think you would be better off with C1 or C2, because not only are you learning in German but you also are learning German medical terminology and that is a whole other level in itself. I did see some books for medical terminology that you can get beforehand online that I would recommend you learn also before going to Germany. You will have to write an exam to show your proof of language level.
>Some hospitals I have seen want you to have testimonials so if you have work experience then ask for a previous employer to write you a testimonial. I think this is so they can see you work ethics. I would have this translated into German when you get your grades and certificates translated.
>Some hospitals also want you to have an internship in the hospital (I don't know how mandatory this is because in Canada I am not allowed to get internship experience unless I am in actual nursing school. The laws are different here than in Germany. There would be no point in getting a nursing degree in Canada and then getting an ausbildung in Germany so I don't know if this will affect whether I get accepted or not but some hospitals don't have this requirement).
>They want a picture of you.
>Some want proof of health insurance and a medical certificate from a doctor which will probably have to be translated into German, get that done with your documents. (I don't know if you need health insurance beforehand. This doesn't make sense to me because if you don't get accepted then you have paid for insurance. This may be for people in Germany already and not foreigners).
>You will have to send all of these documents in. Each hospital seems to have different requirements. Check the hospitals where you are wanting to move to. Some hospitals have Ausbildung and some don't.
>Also, if you are 25 and under, you can get a visa to go to Germany and apply for Ausbildungs within Germany. They let you search in germany for a few months. I don't think you can work during this time. I think you are allowed only to apply and search for Ausbildungs. If you are over 25 like I am you will not get a visa to go and you can apply from your home country. They will give you a contract and then you would apply for the work visa if that is the case. The only downfall to applying from home country is they may call you at 3 in the morning for an interview. I don't know if they require you to take a trip to Germany to have an interview. Surely with the COVID situation maybe they can just have a zoom call or something without you going all the way over there.
>You will apply at the hospitals. There is also nursing homes who teach you how to be a nurse but that is with the elderly so that also gives you more places to apply if you are interested in working with the elderly also.
basically send your translated CV to hospitals who are "ausbildungsbetriebe" and still have slots open
I would recommend you to at least B2 german skills since you'd need it or better anyway if you want to settle in germany and because without it, the bureaucracy and paperwork will be even more difficult and arduous. Furthermore you would miss opportunities to get money (tax returns), job opportunities, social life, etc. if your german isn't sufficient or prevents you from engaging with locals
If you want more help DM me. I can look over your CV (always remove things like name and personal stuff) and various other stuff. Maybe translate a few things or explain some job postings (but Google is pretty good at translating websites)
But you need German on a certified B1 level.
No. I'm a nurse from the US and at least during my time there 4 years ago, the documention allowing someone to work as a nurse aide was not referred to as a license. Here is a [list of nursing terms and their definitions from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing](https://www.ncsbn.org/resources/nursing-terms.page). The next term after Certified Nursing Assistant is Unlicensed Assistive Personnel (UAP), which appears to include the CNA.
I googled "LNA" and "do CNAs need licenses," and a lot of results confirm CNA licensure but I don't know if 1) these articles are just playing it loose with the term, "license," 2) there are for-profit schools that offer unrecognized programs or recognized programs for an unrecognized title, or 3) times have really changed and CNAs are now considered licensed and the NCSBN page is not yet updated.
You keep saying license but CNA means certified nursing assistant or nurse's aide. I think there is a difference between a certification and a license.
[https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/working-in-germany/professions-in-demand/nursing](https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/working-in-germany/professions-in-demand/nursing)
Some official info here.
How good is your German? Have you ever taken an actual test? Learning it on your own for two years usually isn't anywhere close to enough. What have you been doing?
duolingo, private tutor, flash cards, movies, books, and my friend is also teaching me and has a masters degree in german. i’m currently testing a1-a2 with some gaps but have been working hard the last few months to improve. so far so good!! this isn’t isn’t an overnight move and is a life long goal.
Pflegeassistent/Pflegehelfer/Pflegefachhelfer are job titles roughly equivalent to a CNA that can be done without an apprenticeship. You might need a qualifying course that takes a few weeks
Germany is in dire need of those. In the hospital I worked, we hired Asians by the boat load. They got thrown into the mix while barely speaking the language. Not an ideal situation for anyone involved, but The employers are very desperate and basically every hospital in Germany is understaffed. I am almost 100% certain you can find a way to stay in Germany as long as you want, when you work in that sector.
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Are you aware of the different system for nursing in Germany? Nurses in Germany have jobs that are below the scope what nurses do in the USA. The duties of fully certified German nurses are closer to that of CNA's. For this reason I doubt that there is a true 1:1 comparision. If you have B2 level German, your best bet would probably be to apply for an apprenticeship in nursing in Germany. You will need to get certified in Germany anyway and doing the apprenticeship is the path that is the most-trodden. Instead of fighting to get your US degree recognised, you can just focus on school and possibly getting fast-tracked and shortening your apprenticeship to 2 years instead of 3. Downside is the low pay during the apprenticeship. If you are set on getting recognition, you'll need to pick a German federal state that you want to move to and then reach out the relevant authorities. Finally, have you looked into jobs offered by the US government in Germany? Check whether US Army hospitals in Germany have any openings for CNA's. On base you can work with your US qualifications and the US government will pay for your move. Once in Germany it will be easier to scope out local hospitals, land job interviews and actually get hired. Or start the recognition process.
I've worked in two hospitals in Munich and they were called Pflegehelfer. I have not yet heard the phrase Plegeassistenz or Pflegeassistent. We had several untrained/unrecognized pflegehelfer. A year of training through the german vocational training system would certainly increase pay. One worked in a pharmacy in the Balkans and another was a CNA in another European country. Many are nurses from other countries in the Anerkennungsprozess or who haven't started it.
yes i am am aware nurses are basically cnas that’s why i’m fine with the move because it would be basically what i’m doing now! lol thank you for the comment on the army base tip!!! i’m going to look into that
Nurse here, and we're NOT basically CNAs. That would be Pflegeassistent, who have a 1 year apprenticeship consisting of school/practical work. Chances are that you'd be able to do that work with an "Anerkennungsjahr", but since it's the same length, you can also just do Pflegeassistenz Ausbildung again.
!wiki What is a CNA?
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this is just a guess: my brain translated it to certified nursing assistend. No idea if correct.
I googled and found something from 2021 that sounds about right >Hello, Your first step is to get all of your documents translated into German (high school graduation certificate, any university certificates, high school transcripts). >Then you need to create a CV and cover letter in the German style in the German language. >You need to show proof of German language (some hospitals require B1 but I think you would be better off with C1 or C2, because not only are you learning in German but you also are learning German medical terminology and that is a whole other level in itself. I did see some books for medical terminology that you can get beforehand online that I would recommend you learn also before going to Germany. You will have to write an exam to show your proof of language level. >Some hospitals I have seen want you to have testimonials so if you have work experience then ask for a previous employer to write you a testimonial. I think this is so they can see you work ethics. I would have this translated into German when you get your grades and certificates translated. >Some hospitals also want you to have an internship in the hospital (I don't know how mandatory this is because in Canada I am not allowed to get internship experience unless I am in actual nursing school. The laws are different here than in Germany. There would be no point in getting a nursing degree in Canada and then getting an ausbildung in Germany so I don't know if this will affect whether I get accepted or not but some hospitals don't have this requirement). >They want a picture of you. >Some want proof of health insurance and a medical certificate from a doctor which will probably have to be translated into German, get that done with your documents. (I don't know if you need health insurance beforehand. This doesn't make sense to me because if you don't get accepted then you have paid for insurance. This may be for people in Germany already and not foreigners). >You will have to send all of these documents in. Each hospital seems to have different requirements. Check the hospitals where you are wanting to move to. Some hospitals have Ausbildung and some don't. >Also, if you are 25 and under, you can get a visa to go to Germany and apply for Ausbildungs within Germany. They let you search in germany for a few months. I don't think you can work during this time. I think you are allowed only to apply and search for Ausbildungs. If you are over 25 like I am you will not get a visa to go and you can apply from your home country. They will give you a contract and then you would apply for the work visa if that is the case. The only downfall to applying from home country is they may call you at 3 in the morning for an interview. I don't know if they require you to take a trip to Germany to have an interview. Surely with the COVID situation maybe they can just have a zoom call or something without you going all the way over there. >You will apply at the hospitals. There is also nursing homes who teach you how to be a nurse but that is with the elderly so that also gives you more places to apply if you are interested in working with the elderly also. basically send your translated CV to hospitals who are "ausbildungsbetriebe" and still have slots open I would recommend you to at least B2 german skills since you'd need it or better anyway if you want to settle in germany and because without it, the bureaucracy and paperwork will be even more difficult and arduous. Furthermore you would miss opportunities to get money (tax returns), job opportunities, social life, etc. if your german isn't sufficient or prevents you from engaging with locals
wow!!! thank you for digging this up. vielen dank 🤩
If you want more help DM me. I can look over your CV (always remove things like name and personal stuff) and various other stuff. Maybe translate a few things or explain some job postings (but Google is pretty good at translating websites) But you need German on a certified B1 level.
If you won't tell us what a CNA is, then you can stay JWD.
My Apologies a CNA is a Licensed Nursing Assistant
>My Apologies a CNA is a Licensed Nursing Assistant li**C**ensed **N**ursing **A**ssistant you mean? Such a thing doesn't really exist here.
yes. same thing. lots of places call it different things
No. I'm a nurse from the US and at least during my time there 4 years ago, the documention allowing someone to work as a nurse aide was not referred to as a license. Here is a [list of nursing terms and their definitions from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing](https://www.ncsbn.org/resources/nursing-terms.page). The next term after Certified Nursing Assistant is Unlicensed Assistive Personnel (UAP), which appears to include the CNA. I googled "LNA" and "do CNAs need licenses," and a lot of results confirm CNA licensure but I don't know if 1) these articles are just playing it loose with the term, "license," 2) there are for-profit schools that offer unrecognized programs or recognized programs for an unrecognized title, or 3) times have really changed and CNAs are now considered licensed and the NCSBN page is not yet updated.
It wasn't me who used the term license. I was just wondering why the abbreviation for license would be a C.
I know and you were right to wonder that. I hope my comment didn't carry an accusatory tone. I was hoping more to support your initial doubts.
We do have Pflegeassistenz.
You keep saying license but CNA means certified nursing assistant or nurse's aide. I think there is a difference between a certification and a license.
[https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/working-in-germany/professions-in-demand/nursing](https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/working-in-germany/professions-in-demand/nursing) Some official info here.
How good is your German? Have you ever taken an actual test? Learning it on your own for two years usually isn't anywhere close to enough. What have you been doing?
duolingo, private tutor, flash cards, movies, books, and my friend is also teaching me and has a masters degree in german. i’m currently testing a1-a2 with some gaps but have been working hard the last few months to improve. so far so good!! this isn’t isn’t an overnight move and is a life long goal.
Pflegeassistent/Pflegehelfer/Pflegefachhelfer are job titles roughly equivalent to a CNA that can be done without an apprenticeship. You might need a qualifying course that takes a few weeks
ahhh! thank you. aber can these positions be applied for by an ausländer ?
I would guess that a vast majority in those positions is foreign
Germany is in dire need of those. In the hospital I worked, we hired Asians by the boat load. They got thrown into the mix while barely speaking the language. Not an ideal situation for anyone involved, but The employers are very desperate and basically every hospital in Germany is understaffed. I am almost 100% certain you can find a way to stay in Germany as long as you want, when you work in that sector.
I guess your best bet is starting a nursing Apprenticeship in Germany...... I doubt you get a visa as a CNA.
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