Training as a nursing assistant You can find all the important information about the 1-year training programme to become a nursing assistant here.

What many people don't realise: In addition to the classic three-year training programme to become a nursing specialist, there are other attractive options for gaining a foothold in the nursing field. One of these is the one-year training programme for nursing assistants. This is not only significantly shorter, but is also open to applicants with a secondary school leaving certificate school-leaving certificate. Those who pass the final examination can then work in many areas of the healthcare sector and have also qualified for the three-year nursing training programme. The new training occupation of nursing assistant came into force at the beginning of 2021 and replaces the one-year training programmes in geriatric nursing assistance and healthcare and nursing assistance.

They also offer interested parties without a secondary school leaving certificate the opportunity to enter the nursing profession(see requirements). Due to their shorter duration, they are also interesting for people who want to re-enter working life at an older age or who want to reorient themselves.

Typical tasks of a care assistant

• Close cooperation with carers
• Assistance with personal hygiene
• Monitoring bodily functions
• Recording and documenting medical measurements
• Assistance with food intake
• Assistance with wound care
• Administering medication according to a doctor's prescription
  

Job opportunities for nursing assistants

• in hospitals, specialist practices or health centres
• in nursing homes and residential homes for the elderly
• in short-term care facilities
• in outpatient care services
• in residential homes for people with disabilities

Good career prospects

Nursing assistants have very good career prospects. This is because they are needed in many health and social care facilities. At the same time, demographic change (more and more older people) and rapid advances in medicine mean that more and more carers are needed. Carers can therefore look forward to full employment in their sector.

Because the nursing assistant qualification also enables applicants without a secondary school leaving certificate to complete a three-year training programme to become a nursing assistant, this opens up further career opportunities.

Anything but boring - theoretical training

In order to be able to provide the best possible care for patients, residents or clients in care facilities, a sound theoretical education is of course also required. This comprises 730 hours for trainees in the nursing assistant sector. To ensure that what they have learnt can be put into practice quickly, lessons are taught in blocks. This means that teaching blocks lasting several weeks alternate with practical phases in care facilities (hospitals, retirement homes or outpatient care services).

There are no fixed subjects on the timetable, as many applicants remember from their school days. Instead, the material is organised into learning units that correspond more closely to the practical day-to-day work and care situations. This provides trainees with extensive knowledge about the various aspects of care, which they can then consolidate and expand during the practical phases under supervision.

Getting a taste of practice right from the start

Trainees complete their practical phases with our network and co-operation partners.

The student concludes a training contract with one of these practical training providers. A large part of the practical training also takes place there.

The law stipulates that this 1-year, general nursing training programme must also include placements in a hospital, a senior citizens' facility and an outpatient nursing service. The specific and legally compliant practical training programme is planned and monitored by our employees in the coordination department.

During the practical phases, the trainees are supported by so-called practical instructors - i.e. experienced nursing staff with appropriate further training and other experienced trained nursing staff.

Training always starts on 1 June and 1 October.

During the practice entries, the average weekly working time is 38.5 hours. This also includes regular weekend shifts. During the theory blocks, weekends are free. All trainees are informed in good time about the times of practical training, theory lessons and holidays.

Students already receive a salary during the one-year training programme. The remuneration for trainees at the Catholic Education Centre Haan is set out in the guidelines for employment contracts in the institutions of the German Caritas Association (AVR), Annex 7.

Application documents

We require the following application documents:

• Cover letter
• Application photo
• Complete curriculum vitae in tabular form (chronological order)
• Copies of certificates such as school leaving certificate/current half-year report card
• If available, copies of vocational training or work references, certificates of study, proof of Federal Voluntary Service (BFD) or a Voluntary Social Year (FSJ), proof of completed work-related internships, proof of voluntary activities, e.g. in youth work, in a sports club, in a social institution.

Additional requirements for foreign applicants:

As a foreign applicant, you must first submit an application to the relevant authority to check whether your school-leaving qualification is equivalent to the qualification obtained in Germany. If you have not yet been recognised, please provide evidence in your application documents that you have submitted a corresponding application.

The following also applies to EU citizens:

EU identity card with residence permit must be available
Non-EU citizens: work permit/residence permit must be available

You can obtain more information from the Cologne district government. The information provided by the City of Düsseldorf will also help you.

Admission procedure

Once we have received and checked your application documents, we will usually contact you within two weeks.

The selection interviews for a training place at the Haan Catholic Education Centre are conducted by appointment. We ask you to bring any missing documents and, if necessary, originals for submission to the interview. You should allow between 45 and 60 minutes for the interview.

By the way: The admission procedure does not include an aptitude test in the traditional sense. We would like to find out more about you, your motivation to learn the profession and your strengths in an interview.

We look forward to getting to know you personally and hopefully welcoming you as an apprentice or trainee.