Future of nursing: Win international specialists for OWL!

Future of nursing: Win international specialists for OWL!

On April 30, 2025, the conference "Future Care: International Specialists for OWL" took place in Paderborn. Around 80 participants from the nursing industry exchanged the challenges and opportunities of the international approach. The focus was on integration and onboarding foreign nurses.

District Administrator Christoph Rüther emphasized the importance of securing skilled workers and social integration in this industry. The coordination of the acquisition of foreign nurses takes place in the Office for Economics & Tourism of the Paderborn district. The conference was organized in cooperation with several hospitals from Paderborn and Höxter to develop viable integration concepts.

practical insights and networking options

The organizers of the event, including OWL GmbH, the regional agency OWL and the Working Group on municipal care planning OWL, offered practical insights, tools and networking options. The topics included legal framework conditions, recruitment strategies and various practical examples that should help the participants to better design the international influx of specialists.

Melanie Taube from the regional agency OWL emphasized the support offers in the network in her speech. She pointed out the growing need for nurses who would be difficult to cover without international support. If you want more information, you can contact Melanie Taube at m.taube@regionalagentur-owl.de or by phone at 0521 96733240.

Integration of international specialists easier

A central project for the integration of international nurses in Germany is the IngA Pflege project. This project aims to promote the quality of care in the country. It offers nursing and health companies a concept for adaptation courses and supports the recognition of professional qualifications in Germany. Preparing for the job in Germany enables international specialists to fully contribute their skills and experiences.

The implementation of this concept is carried out by the German Competence Center for International Specialists in Health and Nursing Covers (DKF). There is a particular emphasis on the connection of professional recognition with the familiarization with the respective institutions and the strengthening of communicative competence. The concept was developed on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).

political framework for specialists

The recruitment of international specialists for nursing from abroad should improve working conditions in the industry in the long term. The federal government has set itself the goal of reducing existing hurdles. The identified hurdles include administrative procedures as well as a lack of transparency and procedural security. The recruitment from third countries is complex and demands long -term planning.

To meet these challenges, a law on the further development of skilled workers immigration came into force on June 23, 2023. Flanking regulations were treated in the Federal Council in July 2023, with some regulations come into force in November 2023. Foreign specialists can work as helpers until their qualifications are recognized and thus strengthen their skills. This creates procedural security and enables entry with a visa.

The OWL region thus shows great potential to successfully win and bind international nurses in order to meet the growing requirements in the care sector. These developments are crucial to ensure the quality of care in Germany.

For more information about the conference and the programs mentioned, interested parties can be found on the pages of Kreis Paderborn , nursing network Germany and nursing network Germany .