Phase 1
 

An employer in the German-speaking area looking to recruit healthcare staff from abroad will notify Medical Cooptatione about the positions to be filled – specifying the requirement profile of the applicant in terms of the position, monthly salary, start and duration of occupation.

Medical Cooptatione as a recruiter and confidant for both employer and employee will accompany all recruitment processes, according to the company’s mission statement, from finding a candidate to their entry and arrival in Germany.

It takes roughly between 15 and 18 months to go from the start of the initial conversation to the applicant starting their work. Learning the German language alone up to level B2 of the European reference framework for languages requires 12 to 14 months.

In cooperation with the placement agencies located and licensed in the recruitment countries, Medical Cooptatione contacts the healthcare professionals, explaining the procedure of the intended start of employment in the applicants’ target country and answering any questions concerning migration into the German-speaking nations Germany and Austria as well as the German-speaking part of Switzerland. This first conversation includes an initial assessment by Medical Cooptatione on the chances of the applicant to receive a positive response from the employer on their application or how fast a work permit can be issued. Any open questions are resolved between Medical Cooptatione and the employer as the former receives applications and forwards them to the latter. Once the employer has made his selection, they will provide the applicant with a preliminary work contract to be signed by both employer and employee. By signing the work contract, employment becomes legally binding – provided that the employee will prove German language skills at level B2 when commencing work.

Medical Cooptatione coordinates immigration preparations with the employer to determine when the recruited applicant is to travel to the target nation from abroad. This includes collaborating in meeting the requirements for obtaining a preliminary agreement from the immigration authority for an entry visa, allowing the arriving healthcare professional to take up employment. At the same time, the sides cooperate in planning and scheduling for the visa to be awarded by the German consulate in the home country. For long-term residence in the target country, a national visa is required.
 

The visa including the recognition of the professional qualification achieved abroad permits health and care workers to enter Germany and immediately start their employment in a hospital or care institution. That includes possible initial work as auxiliary staff in the institution. Up to and until the vocational qualification is recognized by the authorities, care workers are employed as “care workers in recognition” according to Art. 20 Education and Examination Regulation for the Vocations in Health Care.

Should the equivalency test yield need for further training or practical experience, a residence permit may be issued. Subsequent to that, the foreign national may acquire a residence permit for the purpose of completing an adaptation course as well as a subsequent examination, with the permit lasting 18 months.

                              
                                         Phase 6

Newcomers have to notify the registration office within a few days after arrival. To that end, they require a statement from their landlord. Insofar as the employer does not provide accommodation of their own, we at Medical Cooptatione take care of lodging in one room of a 3- or 4-room apartment for the first 3 or 6 months.

After being listed at the registration office, the new arrivals have to register with the immigration authority as well. Here, they receive a preliminary residence permit as a “probationary permit.” Subsequently, a health examination has to be completed which may take days or weeks. Multi-resistant germs are unfortunately an increasing problem among healthcare staff.

The qualification achieved at home has to be recognized in Germany. Prerequisite for that is that the applicant’s training is acknowledged as equivalent to its German counterpart. We at Medical Cooptatione, in coordination with the employer,  get the recognition procedure started as proxy of the applicant while they are still attending the language course in their home country. Thus, the healthcare worker does not have to wait long after arriving in the target country until their qualification is recognized and they are issued a work permit. Only after issuing the work permit will the qualification be considered equivalent to its German professional counterpart.

Should the qualification achieved abroad only be recognized in part, the applicant (healthcare worker) will receive notice detailing which professional skills they will have to acquire through an adaptation course in Germany. In that case, the candidate for the position to be filled will be notified before arriving in the target country. Details will be individually discussed with the candidate.

The first days at a new employer are a challenge not only for the new employees but also for the locals; they are also key for a good collaboration in the future, especially in healthcare. Companies and management understand the importance of appreciation, preparation, familiarization and integration of the new employees in their new position. For that reason, both leadership and team are whole-heartedly devoted to communicating with the new employee and their orientation in the new institution. This is of particular importance in the first days and weeks. Management will personally converse with the new employee to facilitate long-term integration into the company. The integration plan is the official framework of the process and thus the first element of logical staff development.