Apprenticeship as a nurse (Jena University Hospital)
‘With empathy and sensitivity’, Christin, nurse at the Clinic for Gynaecology and Obstetrics, UKJ
What do you do and what do you like best about it?
For example, I support patients in their care, set up infusions, make bandages, accompany doctors’ rounds and work them out later, prepare patient discharges and inform relatives. Post-operative care is particularly important for me, i.e. monitoring a patient’s blood pressure and circulation. What I particularly like about this is that you have to adapt to the individual patient. You need empathy and sensitivity – it really makes a difference whether you are caring for a twenty-year-old or an eighty-year-old patient.
Why did you decide to do this?
It was important to me to do an apprenticeship after my A-levels. I have a caring nature and wanted a job in the social sector with direct contact to people. You get an immediate thank you in return, sometimes not, but usually you do.
What is/was a personal challenge for you in your work and how do you deal with it?
For me personally, it is a challenge every day to walk the tightrope between personal closeness and the necessary distance to the patient. I want to go home at the end of the day with the feeling that I’ve done my job well and sometimes five to ten minutes chatting at a patient’s bedside is really valuable. I’m also lucky to have a super team around me. We also have a lot of fun at work and the patients notice that too.
What career prospects do you have?
I completed my practical instructor qualification a year ago, which is an additional training to support the trainees in the practical area and take their practical exams. I’m also aiming for a part-time degree in nursing. You can also do further specialist training in oncology or anaesthesia, and there are various further vocational training opportunities that are supported by the employer.
Facts and figures about apprenticeship as a nurse
- Duration: 3 years
- Start: 1 March and September
- Prerequisite:
- A good intermediate school-leaving certificate or another qualification recognised as equivalent or
- Secondary school leaving certificate or another qualification recognised as equivalent
recognised as equivalent, together with a) successfully completed vocational training (at least two years) or b) successfully completed state-regulated assistant or helper training in the care sector
- Apprenticeship salary: approx. 1,100 €
Similar apprenticeship occupations
- Nursing and healthcare assistant
- Nursing specialist specialising in geriatric care
- Generalist training as a nursing specialist – specialisation in paediatrics
- Social assistant
Part-time distance learning programme
- Bachelor of Nursing/ Nursing Management
- Master of Nursing Science/ Nursing Management