How Rostock recruits foreign healthcare staff to Germany | Focus on Europe
Summary
TLDROK Lanfa, a Vietnamese intensive care nurse, shares her journey of overcoming language barriers and cultural differences to excel in her demanding job in Germany. Despite the challenges, she takes pride in her work, especially in a field where local professionals are scarce. The University Medical Center in Rostock, facing a healthcare worker shortage, has been training nurses from Vietnam since 2018, helping them integrate through language courses and cultural support. Lanfa's story reflects the broader narrative of foreign healthcare workers adjusting to new environments and contributing significantly to Germany's healthcare system.
Takeaways
- 😔 OK Lanfa, a Vietnamese intensive care nurse, finds her job demanding and exhausting due to the language barrier and the physical demands of her role.
- 🌟 Despite the challenges, OK Lanfa takes pride in handling tough jobs well and is recognized for her dedication in a field where few in Germany want to work.
- 🏥 She has been working at the University Medical Center in Rostock for nearly 5 years, having completed her nurse's training there and now also serves as an intercultural coach.
- 📚 Germany did not recognize her Vietnamese nursing degree, requiring her to retrain, and she had to adjust to providing care that includes personal hygiene tasks not common in her home country.
- 🔢 Germany is facing a shortage of around 25,000 healthcare professionals, leading to some hospital beds remaining empty even in relatively well-staffed facilities.
- 🌐 The University Medical Center in Rostock began recruiting from Vietnam in 2018, emphasizing smooth integration for new staff members, including language training and assistance with housing and paperwork.
- 🗣️ Communication can be difficult for non-native speakers like OK Lanfa, especially when dealing with older patients or on the phone where non-verbal cues are missing.
- 🏢 The city of Rostock has historical ties with Vietnam, once hosting up to 1500 Vietnamese residents, and this connection is evident in local landmarks like a Buddhist pagoda.
- 🏛️ The city's past includes a dark chapter with race riots in 1992, which are considered the worst in post-war German history, affecting the Vietnamese community.
- 🗳️ While some residents, like Vin Van Lam, feel at home in Rostock, the rise of the far-right AFD party in local politics could potentially affect the community's sense of belonging.
Q & A
What is the occupation of Lanfa?
-Lanfa is an intensive care nurse.
What is the additional challenge Lanfa faces in her job?
-Lanfa faces the additional challenge of working in German, a language she had to learn, and she often feels exhausted after her demanding job.
How long has Lanfa been working at the University Medical Center in Rostock?
-Lanfa has been working at the University Medical Center in Rostock for nearly 5 years.
What additional role does Lanfa have at the University Medical Center?
-Lanfa also acts as an Intercultural coach for newcomers.
Why did Lanfa have to retrain after coming to Germany?
-Lanfa had to retrain in Germany because her Vietnamese Nursing degree was not recognized.
What cultural adjustment did Lanfa have to make in her nursing practice in Germany?
-In Germany, Lanfa had to adjust to providing personal hygiene for patients, such as washing them, which is typically done by relatives in Vietnam.
What is the current shortage of healthcare professionals in Germany?
-Germany faces a shortage of around 25,000 healthcare professionals.
Why did the University Medical Center in Rostock start looking for workers in Vietnam?
-The University Medical Center in Rostock started looking for workers in Vietnam in 2018 to address the healthcare professional shortage.
What does the retraining program for new staff at the University Medical Center include?
-The retraining program includes arranging housing, assisting with paperwork, and offering German courses that cover typical intensive care nursing scenarios.
What challenges does Lanfa face in communication with German patients?
-Lanfa finds it challenging to understand older patients and communicating on the phone because she cannot see facial expressions or gestures to help her understand what is being said.
What historical connection does Rostock have with Vietnam?
-When Rostock was part of East Germany, up to 1500 Vietnamese people lived there and were called 'fets AB', and their community presence is still visible today.
What is Lanfa's plan regarding her future in Germany?
-Lanfa plans to stay in Germany, apply for German citizenship, and bring her boyfriend from Vietnam.
Outlines
👩⚕️ Vietnamese Nurse's Journey in Germany
The first paragraph introduces Lanfa, a Vietnamese nurse working in the intensive care unit at the University Medical Center in Rostock, Germany. Despite the physically and mentally demanding nature of her job, she takes pride in her ability to handle tough tasks, especially since the job is one that Germans are often unwilling to undertake. Lanfa has been in Germany for nearly five years, having completed her nursing training there after her Vietnamese nursing degree was not recognized. She has had to adjust to different care practices, such as providing personal hygiene for patients, which was a cultural shock initially. The medical center faces a staff shortage, with around 25,000 healthcare professionals needed nationwide. To address this, the center has been recruiting from Vietnam since 2018, offering a retraining program that includes language courses and assistance with housing and paperwork. Lanfa also serves as an intercultural coach for newcomers. The paragraph touches on the historical presence of Vietnamese people in Rostock and the community's resilience, including the opening of a Buddhist pagoda and a sunflower mural commemorating a dark chapter of race riots in 1992.
🌐 Lanfa's Adaptation and Future Plans
The second paragraph delves into Lanfa's personal life and her adaptation to living in Germany. She rarely feels homesick, having made German friends through her work. Lanfa emphasizes the importance of learning the local language for those living abroad, expressing disappointment in those who have been in the country for years without learning German. As she approaches her five-year mark in Germany, she is looking forward to applying for German citizenship. Her plans include staying in the country and bringing her boyfriend from Vietnam to join her. The paragraph highlights the challenges of language barriers, especially when communicating with elderly patients or over the phone, and the efforts made to overcome these through practice and training.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Intensive Care Nurse
💡German Language
💡Intercultural Coach
💡Healthcare Shortage
💡Retraining Program
💡Cultural Adjustment
💡Language Barrier
💡Integration
💡Workforce Acceptance
💡Citizenship
Highlights
OK Lanfa, a Vietnamese intensive care nurse, faces the challenge of working in German, a language she had to learn.
Despite the demanding job, OK Lanfa feels proud of handling tough tasks well.
OK Lanfa has been working at the University Medical Center in Rostock for nearly 5 years.
She completed her nurse's training in Germany and acts as an Intercultural coach for newcomers.
The job of a nurse in Germany is considered difficult, with a shortage of healthcare professionals.
OK Lanfa had to retrain in Germany as her Vietnamese Nursing degree was not recognized.
She had to adjust the care she provides, including personal hygiene tasks that were not part of her role in Vietnam.
Germany faces a shortage of around 25,000 healthcare professionals, leading to unfilled beds at hospitals.
The University Medical Center in Rostock began looking to Vietnam for workers in 2018.
The Medical Center's approach emphasizes helping new staff integrate smoothly.
The hospital ensures not to overload current staff with too many different nationalities.
Up to 25 young people from Asia, mostly women, receive training at the hospital each year.
The Clinic's retraining program includes housing, paperwork assistance, and German courses.
OK Lanfa finds it challenging to understand fast German speech and has to concentrate during communication.
Older patients or phone conversations without visual cues can be particularly difficult to understand.
The city of Rostock has a history of Vietnamese community presence, with up to 1500 Vietnamese living there during East Germany times.
A Buddhist pagoda opened near the University Medical Center, symbolizing the Vietnamese community.
The 1992 race riots in Rostock were a dark chapter in German history, targeting immigrant workers.
Vin Van Lam, a long-time resident of Rostock, reflects on the changes and current political climate.
OK Lanfa rarely gets homesick and has made German friends through her work.
Language learning is crucial for living abroad, as emphasized by OK Lanfa's experience.
OK Lanfa plans to apply for German citizenship and bring her boyfriend from Vietnam after five years.
Transcripts
Vietnamese OK lanfa is an intensive care
nurse the job's demanding yet she faces
the additional challenge of working in
German a language she first had to
learn every day after work I'm
completely
exhausted after all the jobs and heavy
work here but later on when I think
about it I'm always very proud of myself
because I've almost always handled these
tough jobs relatively well
Rel especially as here in Germany nobody
wants to do this
job I do it
well OK Lan has been working at the
University Medical Center in rosock for
nearly 5 years she completed her nurse's
training here and now also acts as
Intercultural coach for
newcomers I think it's also a difficult
job that's why there are so few and
let's be honest nobody here Germany
wants to do it so why shouldn't they
train people from
abroad oklan has gone a long way in her
pursuit of a better
future Germany didn't recognize her
Vietnamese Nursing degree so she had to
train again
here and she had to adjust the care she
provides
too I was quite shocked that I had to
provide personal hygiene
as in washing
patients back home we nurses don't do
that relatives do this for patients on
non-critical
Wards it was embarrassing for me to for
example have to wash men's
privates but now I don't feel that way
anymore because I've been doing it for
years Germany faces a shortage of around
25,000 healthare professionals as a
result some beds at Roso University
Medical Center remain empty although the
hospital is relatively well staffed one
reason is that they began looking to
Vietnam for workers in 2018 and the
Medical Center's approach also emphasiz
is helping new staff members integrate
smoothly we've also got to make sure
that we don't overload our current staff
with too many different
nationalities in the end want to make
sustainable gains in healthc Care staff
while not losing the acceptance of the
workforce that's a challenge for
everyone
involved each year up to 25 young people
from Asia mostly women receive training
here what's unique is that most stay on
at the University Medical Center largely
due to the Clinic's retraining program
which includes arranging housing
assisting with paperwork and offering
German courses that cover typical IC
nursing
scenarios I find people from here speak
really
fast I always have to concentrate when
I'm communicating with
Germans if I get just a little bit
distracted I can't understand
anymore older patients are often
difficult to understand or speaking to
someone on the phone because you can't
see who you're talking with so you can't
use facial expressions or gestures to
help you guess what's being said that's
why we always work hard to practice that
RW st's recruitment focus on Vietnam is
no coincidence when the city still
belonged to East Germany up to 1500
Vietnamese people lived here and were
called fets AB their community's
presence is visible last year this
Buddhist pagota opened its doors just a
few hundred meters from the sunflower
building its sunflower mural serves as a
reminder of one of rostock's darkest
chapters
in
1992 a mob attacked the residents for
immigrant workers the race riots are
considered the worst in post-war German
history Vin van Lam has been in Rost
since
1989 back then he lived just a few
kilometers from the
scene we were afraid at the beginning
now the second generation or even the
third generation is already in Germany
in so yes we feel at home again in
Germany or
Ros but in Municipal elections the far
right afd emerged as the strongest
Party politics really don't interest me
at
all I feel good
here but if the situation keeps getting
more serious or
stressful then I will have to think
about
it maybe I'll have to move to where
people are more open to
us
of T lanfa says she rarely gets
homesick she has made German friends
through her
work when you live abroad the first
thing you need to do is learn the
language I know a few people who've been
living here for 20 years years and don't
know a single word of
German I think that's a real
shame shadow in September tinok lanfa
will have been in Germany for 5 years
when she can apply for German
citizenship her plan is to stay here and
bring her boyfriend from Vietnam
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