ver.di: Professionally trained nursing care must not be devalued
19.10.2023 14:21
On the occasion of the recommendations of the working group on the task profiles of university-qualified nursing specialists, which was set up as part of the nursing training offensive, which took place on October 17th. were published, the United Services Union (ver.di) warns against a devaluation of professionally trained nursing.
“University-trained nurses are needed; their efforts can make an important contribution to good, scientifically based care,” explained ver.di federal board member Sylvia Bühler. “But the fact that professionally qualified nursing staff should no longer carry out certain tasks that are part of their job today is absolutely the wrong approach. We stand in the way of this devaluation. We need the nursing professions as a whole to be upgraded.” In addition to good training conditions, this also includes clear career prospects after nursing studies. However, this will not be achieved with the recommendations of the working group created as part of the nursing training offensive, in which ver.di has continuously contributed. That is why ver.di does not support the recommendations and has published its own statement.
“If university-trained nursing professionals bring new scientific findings to the nursing teams and in turn make their practical experience scientifically usable, that is a big win in both directions,” emphasized the trade unionist. However, the recommendations make a completely impractical distinction between highly complex and less complex nursing activities. “The question arises as to why professionally qualified nursing staff should no longer be able to carry out highly complex care in the future. After all, that's what they do today." The two paths to professional nursing - with vocational training or study - would be driven into competition with this unsuitable differentiation, and vocational training would be devalued. “This must not happen,” warned Bühler.
The benchmark for the development of activity profiles must be the benefit for nursing care. “In order for university-qualified nursing staff to be well received in practice, convincing, practical concepts are needed. The course must now be set correctly – for good cooperation and coexistence between university and professionally qualified nurses,” demanded Bühler. “Nurses of all qualification levels are organized in ver.di. We will continue to bring this expertise into the debate.”
The ver.di statement on the recommendations of the working group and statements from active nursing staff can be found here:
Nursing education reform