BIBB Healthcare Occupations Workshop

How do the revisions to the legal bases of four healthcare occupations impact on the recognition of foreign professional qualifications? This was one of the questions in focus at the virtual networking event with competent authorities and with the Central Assessment Agency for Healthcare Professions (GfG).

The healthcare workshop is organised regularly by the Recognition Monitoring Project of the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) and was held virtually for the first time on 3 December in order to maintain dialogue between the competent authorities even during the coronavirus pandemic. Around 35 invitees were in attendance, including representatives of competent authorities from more than 10 federal states, some federal ministries and federal state ministries, and also from the GfG.

At the start of the three-and-a-half-hour meeting, the GfG presented the legal revisions in a total of four academic medical professions and healthcare occupations. The discussion which followed focused, among other things, on academisation in the training of midwives and in nursing training. There was also discussion of changes—some of them extensive—to the German Dental Licensing Ordinance and the training of psychotherapists. The impact of these changes on the recognition of foreign professional qualifications was also discussed.

Professional experience and recognition
How can professional experience and lifelong learning be assessed and taken into account in the recognition process when compensating for substantial differences? Participants shared their past experience of this issue. The GfG also presented their newly developed concept for assessing professional experience and lifelong learning. Also discussed were the ways in which the GfG could provide even greater support to the competent authorities in this regard.
Two further virtual workshops are scheduled for January and February 2021. Likely topics: knowledge tests and preparation courses in human medicine and nursing, and also initial experiences gained with the Skilled Immigration Act.
 

Further information

BIBB Healthcare Occupations Workshop 2020