Pflegefachkraft: definition and professional title in Germany
What is a Pflegefachkraft?
Pflegefachkraft is the common German term for a nurse who has completed a state-recognised nursing programme. Job ads and everyday speech use it widely. As a professional title, section 1 of the Pflegeberufegesetz (PflBG, Nursing Professions Act) names Pflegefachfrau and Pflegefachmann; the word Pflegefachkraft does not appear there. The Federal Ministry of Health and Pflegeausbildung.net also name the title Pflegefachperson.
Rules in Germany
Anyone who wants to use the title Pflegefachfrau or Pflegefachmann needs a permit under section 1 PflBG. The act has applied since 1 January 2020 and merged the former separate training in general nursing and elderly care into one generalist programme.
Training usually takes three years full-time and at most five years part-time; under certain conditions it can be shortened. It consists of classroom teaching and practical training; the theoretical and practical teaching covers at least 2,100 hours. Section 4 PflBG lists reserved tasks that only suitably trained staff may carry out: assessing and determining care needs, organising, designing and steering the care process, and analysing, evaluating, securing and developing care quality.
Anyone who earned the qualification abroad needs recognition in Germany. The glossary entry Recognition of foreign professional qualifications in healthcare describes the procedure.
Why it matters for working in healthcare
Pflegefachkräfte plan nursing care, carry it out and evaluate it, in hospitals, nursing homes and home-care services. When applying, read the ad closely: if it says “Pflegefachkraft”, the employer usually expects a recognised three-year nursing qualification. The exact requirements are in the individual job ad. Nurses who have worked abroad should also clarify before applying whether their qualification needs recognition. Salary and career paths are covered in the guide Registered Nurse: Tasks, Salary and Career.
Practical example
During the early shift on an internal medicine ward, a Pflegefachfrau assesses a new patient's care needs on admission and sets the measures in the care plan. A nursing assistant then carries out parts of the basic care according to that plan. The planning itself is a reserved task and stays with the Pflegefachkraft. (The example is fictional.)
Official sources
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