Arrived to stay

How long do international qualified nurses or educators actually stay in Germany? And how long do they stay with their first employer? This question is on the minds of nursing managers and childcare providers—for understandable reasons. They want to know whether the costs and efforts involved in recruitment and integration “pay off.” We took a closer look at the first two groups of our talents from Vietnam who entered the country in spring 2016 and spring 2017. With some of them we were still in contact; others we first had to track down. Because the group is well networked among itself, it was possible to interview everyone. The result is an extremely positive picture:

Out of a total of 39 qualified nurses from Vietnam, 34 are still in Germany after ten or nine years, respectively. 14 of them are employed by their first employer, Sana Klinikum in Offenbach. 20 work in other hospitals. All of them are still working in nursing or nursing education. Only four out of 39—after more than five years of work in Germany in each case—have returned to Vietnam; one has moved to the Netherlands.

Thuy Ngo, now 33 years old, was the class representative of the group back then. She now works at Klinikum Darmstadt as a medical coder. When she thinks back to her arrival in Germany today, she says: “We had studied German so intensively. We thought B2 had prepared us well. But then everyone spoke so fast that we barely understood anything.” After six months it got better, and the professional recognition process worked out smoothly. Ms Ngo has since passed the C1 exam. What she likes best about Germany: “Freedom of opinion. At work I’m allowed to say everything—even negative things.” She is happy about the good atmosphere in her team and really enjoys going to work. Something else she likes: “In Germany there is a separation between work and private life. You’re allowed to switch off at home. That doesn’t work in Vietnam. There you’re basically always on duty.” Ms Ngo is extremely glad she took the opportunity to get to know a new country. She is now married and has a daughter. She encourages colleagues in Vietnam who are considering going to Germany to do so—partly because of the many further training opportunities available here.

She and her colleagues have made intensive use of these opportunities: 20 professionals from this group completed a further training program, some even two—for example in geriatrics, palliative care, intensive care, or wound management. Some trained further as medical coders, others work in stroke units. Some have completed Master’s programs in Nursing Management, Digital Healthcare Management, or Nursing Education. One colleague from this group now heads the AWO Education Academy Württemberg in Böblingen. All of them are role models for other qualified nurses from Vietnam who are aiming for a career in Germany.

Sabine Braun, who as Director of Nursing at Sana Klinikum in Offenbach supported the integration of the first two groups from Vietnam, says: “I would do it again anytime.” Before that, her hospital had integrated professionals from Spain, but they quickly returned to their home country. After that, she knew: “We need to choose people who come from further away and really want to stay here. And we need a partner who takes good care of them.” She found that partner in TalentOrange.

Sabine Braun experienced the nurses from Vietnam as shy or quiet at most right at the beginning. “What matters is that management, as well as all the nurses on the wards, treat the new colleagues with appreciation and respect for their culture and their skills. The intercultural workshops for the receiving wards also helped.” The former Director of Nursing still occasionally visits Sana today and is then delighted to meet the Vietnamese colleagues. “Integration works,” says Sabine Braun, “when people speak openly with each other.”

The 39 young women from Vietnam who came to Germany in 2016 and 2017 have shown how much energy, motivation, and willingness to perform they have. Dung Nguyen, who is now a nursing educator at the AWO Education Academy in Böblingen, says: “Over the ten years, I’ve become much more confident and independent.” In their private lives as well, the professionals from Vietnam have put down roots in Germany: most of them are married, some have started a family. Some have since obtained German citizenship. We at TalentOrange are happy—and, to be honest, also a little proud—of all these successful life paths. In May, we will meet the group for an anniversary and reunion celebration. Then it will be: Congratulations on your ten-year anniversary!