The job profile has a bad image, and wrongly so, says Lena Krebs, training coordinator at the ASB Mannheim/Rhine-Neckar Region
(Mannheim, Aug. 23, 2022) Lena Krebs has been responsible for training and continuing education in the field of nursing at ASB Mannheim/Rhine-Neckar Region since January 2022. The 36-year-old is a registered nurse and studied business administration and applied health sciences. For her, nursing is the job market of the future.
Question: Why do nursing professions have a bad image?
Lena Krebs: "In addition to political failures to improve the framework conditions, there are unfortunately numerous prejudices: One is the allegedly poor pay, which is not true. We pay trainees just under 1,200 euros gross in their first year. This is supplemented by special bonuses and shift allowances. If they stay on, we pay them according to the collective wage agreement with continuous wage increases. Another prejudice: in nursing, I only do "menial" work and have to wash residents all day. That's nonsense, this profession is very diverse and varied. Nursing stands for interprofessional collaboration in many areas."
Question: What is it that makes this profession so special?
Lena Krebs: "Quite honestly, I have personally never gone home as satisfied and happy as I am in nursing. You experience a lot of gratitude and appreciation. You work in a system-relevant profession. Especially since Corona, we know what that means. Nursing offers a wide range of development opportunities. Here, as in the American Dream, the opportunities for advancement "from dishwasher to millionaire" are still possible, i.e. an unskilled nursing assistant can become a home manager with further training and education. Those who do not want to care directly can work in social care, for example. This is an occupational field that is becoming increasingly important. There are also many opportunities in housekeeping and administration."
Question: Germany has had generalist nursing training since January 2020. What advantages does this reform bring?
Lena Krebs: "The advantages are immense. The three-year dual training program to become a registered nurse offers enormous opportunities, including in other European countries. It is a clear upgrading of the profession and creates the appropriate foundations for the future academization of nursing. With this training, one has many opportunities, a high degree of flexibility and can work in very different settings. But above all: with this training, you are never unemployed, not in the whole of Europe. You'll be accepted with a kiss hand everywhere."
Question: The training is more for young people?
Lena Krebs: "Not at all. One of our trainees is 57 years old. Both the various training courses and professions in nursing are suitable for everyone, regardless of age, origin, gender or religious orientation. We at ASB in particular are very open-minded in this respect and are committed to a diverse society. In nursing, there are many opportunities for so-called career changers, for people who, perhaps after a break for children, want to get back into the profession or also for immigrants who want to reorient themselves in Germany."
Question: And what grades do they have to be?
Lena Krebs: "Of course, there are different formal requirements depending on the position you are aiming for. But much more important than school grades are completely different prerequisites: Empathy, the joy of working with people. The enthusiasm to support each other as a team. The interest in interdisciplinary cooperation with, for example, physicians. The ability to deal with the fears and concerns of relatives. To stand by the person being cared for in difficult moments. To cut a long story short, we need committed people with a heart and a sense of responsibility in nursing. Anyone who brings that can become anything in nursing."
ASB Mannheim/Rhein-Neckar operates five senior citizens' homes in the Rhine-Neckar district as well as a senior citizens' advisory service and offers outpatient care services, day care and assisted living in Mannheim, Heidelberg and Schriesheim. Fek