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Foreign clinics encounter difficulties without the presence of foreign patients

International hospitals in Hagenow, Crivitz, and Ludwigslust are ambitiously staffed by employees hailing from overseas, with approximately 15% to 20% of their workforce originating from foreign lands, spanning all departments.

,   and  Administrator
2 min read
Because of the absence of foreigners, clinics might face challenges in their operations.
Because of the absence of foreigners, clinics might face challenges in their operations.

Foreign clinics encounter difficulties without the presence of foreign patients

In the heart of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the LUP clinics in Crivitz, Hagenow, and Ludwigslust are bustling with dedicated professionals, many of whom hail from foreign lands. René Pfalzgraf, the Nursing Director, considers this diversity an enrichment for the clinics and society as a whole.

However, the process of recognising foreign healthcare professionals' qualifications in Germany can be a lengthy and complex affair. On average, foreign nursing professionals often wait around 500 days for recognition, a duration that severely limits their ability to work fully qualified in Germany and forces many employers to deploy them only in assistant roles.

The processing time varies across federal states. For instance, recognition for physicians ranges from 8 weeks in some states to 1.5 years in others, with no uniform national standard. Proposals to streamline the process include a federal law draft focusing on medical professions, such as physicians, dentists, pharmacists, and midwives, but excluding nursing professions.

Experts argue for expanded acceleration measures to include nursing and other healthcare professions. They suggest establishing a nationwide database of recognised qualifications to reduce waiting times and improve transparency. A uniform examination standard nationwide, especially for health professions from third countries, is also proposed to equalise chances and ensure patient safety nationwide.

In the LUP clinics, hygiene regulations are strict, requiring permanent disinfection of underarms and prohibiting fabric coverage. René Pfalzgraf believes that these procedures could be streamlined for some frequently occurring countries of origin.

Despite the challenges, many employees with foreign roots work in these clinics, from cleaning staff and nursing staff to doctors. These employees, given they can work, have a faster understanding of German societal life. Moreover, there are more and more patients with a migration background among the patients of LUP clinics.

René Pfalzgraf, in his role as Nursing Director, has not had any problems with employees with a migration background that he hasn't had with German colleagues. He notes that women hold leadership positions in the clinics, and all employees are expected to follow certain rules and work equally.

In conclusion, while the recognition of foreign healthcare qualifications in these areas currently takes about 1.5 years on average, legislative and policy proposals aim to speed up and harmonize the process, particularly by introducing nationwide databases and uniform exams. However, these focus mainly on doctors and certain other professionals rather than nursing staff at this stage.

[1] Bundesministerium für Gesundheit (2020). Anerkennung ausländischer Fachkräfte im Gesundheitswesen. Retrieved from https://www.bundesgesundheitsministerium.de/cm/365614/Anerkennung-auslaendischer-Fachkraefte-im-Gesundheitswesen.pdf

[2] Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales (2020). Anerkennung ausländischer Fachkräfte im Gesundheitswesen - Reformvorhaben. Retrieved from https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Arbeitsagentur/Themen/Auslaender/Berufskraft/Anerkennung/Anerkennung_auslaendischer_Fachkraefte_im_Gesundheitswesen_Reformvorhaben.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=3

  1. The lengthy and complex process of recognizing foreign healthcare professionals' qualifications in Germany, especially for nursing professions, is a major concern in the field of health-and-wellness, indicating a need for expanded acceleration measures and policy changes.
  2. To improve the recognition process for foreign healthcare professionals, experts suggest implementing a nationwide database of recognized qualifications, establishing a uniform examination standard, and streamlining the process for some frequently occurring countries of origin, all aimed at reducing waiting times and ensuring patient safety.
  3. The introduction of a federal law draft focusing on medical professions like physicians, dentists, pharmacists, and midwives, while absent in provisions for nursing professions, is a step towards harmonizing the process of recognition for foreign healthcare professionals in areas such as science, medical-conditions, mental-health, fitness-and-exercise, and overall health-and-wellness.

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