Bernau-Waldfrieden, October 7, 2022
A new nursing school was opened in Bernau near Berlin on Friday to train qualified personnel in the nursing profession.
Thirty young people of different nationalities formed part of the first batch of participants to be trained at the school.
Mr Kurt Josef Michels, the Managing Director of the Michels Kliniken, said the idea for a nursing school arose many years ago.
“At that time, however, we were aware that this would be a difficult, stormy, and costly path.”
The Managing Director enumerated the difficulties in the recruitment of qualified staff due to the shortage of personnel in the health sector.
He stressed that, as a result they moved in several countries around the world searching for qualified staff who fulfilled the standard for recognition in Germany only for head-hunters to come and entice them away.
The fluctuation of staff was also higher than the intake of qualified personnel.
The Mayor of Bernau, André Stahl (Left Party), observed that all hospitals were in need of staff adding that success would be found wanting if hospitals entice staff members from each other.
The Mayor commended the decision of the Michels Kliniken to train their own staff.
Ursula Nonnemacher (Alliance 90/The Greens), Minister for Social Affairs, Health, Integration and Consumer Protection of the State of Brandenburg mentioned the challenges associated with the opening of a training location in a regulated health care system.
Mr Kai Uwe Michels, Managing Director said with the opening of the school, the Michels Kliniken was stepping on a different terrain because they never had their own nursing training institution. He observed that Brandenburg was a “Land of Rehabilitation”.
The new nursing school is housed in a historic building, which has been designated by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage building.