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Permission to use the professional title "health care and pediatric nurse" or "health care and pediatric nurse" with professional qualification from EU/EEA/Switzerland Issuance

Service Description

The profession of health and pediatric nurse is regulated in Germany. This means that in order to work as a health and pediatric nurse in Germany, you need a state permit. With the permit, you may use the professional title "health and pediatric nurse" and work in the profession.

Even with a professional qualification from the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you can obtain the state permit from the competent body in Germany. To obtain the permit, you must have your foreign professional qualification recognized.

On January 1, 2020, nursing education was reformed in Germany and the new Nursing Professions Act applies. There is a transition period for the recognition of foreign professional qualifications based on the Nursing Act. Your foreign professional qualification may still be recognized under the old Nursing Act until December 31, 2024. The competent office will advise you.

In the recognition procedure, the competent body compares your professional qualification with the German professional qualification and checks the equivalence. The equivalence of the professional qualification is an important prerequisite for the granting of the state permit. In addition to the equivalence of the professional qualification, you must fulfill other requirements for the issuance of the permit. Further requirements are, for example, sufficient German language skills and health suitability.

If your professional qualification does not originate from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, other regulations apply.
You can also submit the application for the procedure from abroad.

Process flow

Application

You submit an application for the granting of permission to use the professional title "health and pediatric nurse" to the competent body.

You can hand in the application with the documents to the competent body or send it by mail. Do not send originals. Sometimes you can send the application electronically. The competent office will inform you.


Checking the equivalence

The competent body will then check whether you meet all the requirements. An important requirement is the equivalence of your professional qualification. The competent body compares your professional qualification with the German professional qualification as a health and pediatric nurse according to the Nursing Professions Act or the old Nursing Act. The professional qualification is equivalent if there are no significant differences between your professional qualification and the German professional qualification.


Possible results of the equivalence test

If your professional qualification is equivalent, your foreign professional qualification will be recognized. The competent body can confirm the result to you in writing. You still have to fulfill the other requirements. Then you will receive permission to use the professional title "health and pediatric nurse".

Are there any significant differences between your professional qualification and the German professional qualification? You may be able to compensate for the differences through your professional experience, other knowledge, skills or competencies (lifelong learning). Knowledge, skills and competences must be certified by an authority of the state in which you acquired the knowledge, skills or competences.

However, it may be that your work experience, knowledge, skills or competencies cannot compensate for the substantial differences. In this case, the competent body will tell you the essential differences between your professional qualification and the German professional qualification and why you cannot compensate for these essential differences.

The competent body will also tell you compensatory measures you can take to make up for the substantial differences. If you decide not to take compensatory measures, your professional qualification will not be recognized and you will not be allowed to work in Germany as a health and pediatric nurse.

Compensatory measures

There are different compensatory measures:

  • Adaptation course: the adaptation course lasts a maximum of 3 years.
  • Aptitude test: In the aptitude test, only those areas in which significant differences have been identified are tested. The aptitude test consists of a practical test combined with an examination interview.

You can usually choose between an adaptation course or an aptitude test.
If you successfully complete the compensatory measure and meet all other requirements, you will receive permission to use the occupational title "health and pediatric nurse".

Who should I contact?

Please contact the Thuringian State Administration Office.

Requirements

  • You have a comparable professional qualification as a health and pediatric nurse from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland.
  • You want to work in Germany as a health and pediatric nurse.
  • Personal suitability: You are reliable for work as a health and pediatric nurse and have no criminal record.
  • Health suitability: you are mentally and physically able to work as a health and pediatric nurse.
  • You have German language skills at the required level. This is usually language level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Which documents are required?

The responsible office will tell you what documents you need to submit. Important documents are generally:

  • Proof of identity (identity card or passport)
  • Birth certificate or marriage certificate if your name has changed due to marriage
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Proof of your professional qualification (for example, certificates, professional certificate)
  • Evidence of education
  • Evidence of your relevant work experience in a profession comparable to health care and pediatric nursing
  • Evidence of other relevant knowledge for working as a health and pediatric nurse practitioner
  • Information about an application for recognition that has already been submitted. Then indicate the office to which you submitted the application.
  • Do you still live or work in a third country, i.e. not in the EU, the EEA or Switzerland? Then you may have to prove that you have received a commitment from a health and care facility to work as a nurse in Germany.

You will usually hand in these documents later. The responsible office will inform you when you should hand in the documents:

  • Proof of your personal suitability: criminal record extract or certificate of good conduct from your country of origin. The proof must not be older than 3 months at the time of application.
  • Proof of your health suitability: Medical certificate. The certificate must not be older than 3 months at the time of application.
  • Proof of your German language skills: Language certificate

The responsible office will inform you which documents you have to submit as a simple copy, as a certified copy or as an original.

What are the fees?

The procedure costs money. The responsible office will inform you about the costs. The costs often depend on the effort required for processing.

The fee range is at least 80.00 Euro to 590.00 Euro.

Additional costs may arise (e.g. for translations, certifications or compensatory measures).

These costs vary individually.

What deadlines do I have to pay attention to?

There is no deadline.

Sometimes documents are still missing from the procedure. The responsible office will then inform you by when you have to submit the documents.

Processing duration

Processing Time: 3 Months
The competent office will inform you if any documents are missing. If the documents are complete, the procedure takes a maximum of 3 months.

Legal basis

  • §§ Sections 41 (2-7), 43, 58 (1) Nursing Professions Act (Pflegeberufegesetz - PflBG)
  • §§ Sections 43, 46, 47, 48 Nursing Professions Training and Examination Ordinance (Pflegeberufe-Ausbildungs- und -Prüfungsverordnung - PflAPrV)

or

  • § Section 66a (2) Nursing Professions Act (Pflegeberufegesetz - PflBG)
  • in conjunction with Sections 1 (1) Sentence 1 No. 2, 2 (3a) and (5-6) of the Nursing Act (KrPflG) in the version applicable on December 31, 2019
  • in conjunction with Sections 20, 20a, 20c Training and Examination Ordinance for the Professions in Nursing (KrPflAPrV) in the version applicable on December 31, 2019.

What else should I know?

Freedom to provide services

You would like to offer services in Germany only sometimes and for a short time? Then you usually do not need the state permission. You must meet these requirements:

  • You must be established in another state of the EU, EEA or Switzerland.
  • You must prove your professional qualification.
  • You must notify the competent body of your activity in writing.

The competent body will inform you whether you are allowed to provide services or whether you have to pass an aptitude test.


Equivalency notice

The equivalence examination (recognition procedure) also takes place in the permit procedure. You can apply for a separate decision on the result of the examination.


Procedure for late repatriates

As a late repatriate, you can either go through the recognition procedure according to the laws mentioned here or according to the Federal Expellees Act. You can decide this yourself. The competent office will advise you which procedure suits you.

Author

Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training

The text was automatically translated based on the German content.

Technically approved by

Thuringian Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, Health, Women and Family Affairs

Professionally released on

15.08.2022

Source: Zuständigkeitsfinder Thüringen (Linie6Plus)

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