The German federal government has passed key legislation to strengthen and develop nursing care in order to make nursing professions more attractive, combat the shortage of skilled workers and improve medical care.

At the heart of the two laws is the introduction of a nationally standardised nursing assistant training programme and comprehensive measures to expand powers and reduce bureaucracy in nursing care.
We will only discuss the law introducing a nationally standardised nursing assistant training programme here.

The new Nursing Assistant Training Act creates an independent and nationally uniform job profile that replaces the previous 27 nursing assistant training programmes regulated by state law. This should make it easier to change jobs from one federal state to another. Salaries are also to be made more attractive for trainees. The programme will start on 1 January 2027 and last for 18 months on a full-time basis.

The training is generalist in nature and includes compulsory placements in inpatient and outpatient long-term care as well as inpatient acute care. In addition, the recognition of foreign qualifications will be simplified through standardised procedures such as knowledge tests or adaptation courses.

Graduates will be able to follow a shortened training programme to become a nursing specialist and then even take up a degree course in nursing. Abandoned specialist training programmes can also be credited.