Preparatory course including knowledge examination for nursing professionals

Preparatory course incl. knowledge test to become a nurse

The qualification of international nursing professionals for the German health care system is an important element in counteracting the shortage of skilled workers in the nursing profession. The aim must be to prepare future nursing professionals from non-EU countries and non-European countries as best as possible for the needs of the German healthcare process.

In order to practice the nursing profession in Germany, a state permit from the relevant state authorities is required, which in individual cases can be obtained by taking a knowledge test.

The Academy of Health has been supporting international nursing professionals on their path to professional recognition in Germany since 2008. Based on this experience, the Academy of Health can offer international nursing professionals a variety of courses to prepare for the practical and oral knowledge tests in Germany, depending on their needs.

Based on scientific recommendations and the Academy of Health's many years of experience in qualifying international specialists, we offer our participants modularized and competency-oriented preparatory courses in the form of case-oriented seminars. Depending on the course format, these are offered in classroom settings, e-learning or blended learning. Depending on the choice of preparatory course, the theory-practice transfer takes place in practice or in the form of training units in our modern skill centers.

Our goal is to prepare you optimally for the knowledge test!

Preparatory course over 200 hours

Our preparatory course for 200 UE will prepare you for your practical and oral knowledge assessment over approximately three months. You will delve deeper into nursing theory content and thus be optimally prepared for the knowledge assessment. In addition, you have practical phases at your employer and are accompanied by practical instructors and mentors. This allows you to deepen the content from theory in practice. We help you with theory-practice transfer through skill and simulation training in our modernly equipped simulation room.

You have the option of applying for an education voucher through the employment agency, so there are no further costs for you. Please contact the employment agency where you live.

The course concludes with a practical and oral knowledge test.

Next course start:

05. March 2026

Target group / requirement

Nurses from non-EU countries and non-European countries with completed vocational training in their home country who wish to take the knowledge test to recognize the equivalence of nursing training for the federal states of Berlin and Brandenburg.

When registering for the preparatory course, please submit the following documents:

Proof of German language skills; at least level B2
Notice from the responsible state office to carry out the knowledge test
Residence permit / work permit
Short CV

The 200-hour preparatory course offers an ideal opportunity to prepare participants more intensively and in greater depth for the requirements of professional care. The topics from the 80-hour preparatory course are expanded upon and extended with content such as ethically reflective action, caring for and supporting people at the end of life, acting in an emergency situation, etc.

The 200-hour preparatory course consists of the following content modules:

Understanding of Nursing and the Profession in Germany
Supporting people in self-care and mobility
Reflect on your own care experience – communicate in an understanding-oriented manner
Promote health and act preventively
Supporting people in curative care processes and strengthening patient safety
Act safely in acute situations
Rehabilitative nursing care in an interprofessional team
Accompanying people in critical life situations and in the final phase of life
Development and health in childhood and adolescence in nursing situations
Support people with mental health problems and cognitive impairments in a person-centered and life-world-related manner

During the courses, the needs of the participants are determined in order to be able to respond to them individually.

Practical transfer

In the practical phase, which usually takes place in the employer's facility or the later examining facility, the professional skills of the training participants are consolidated with targeted learning and reflection tasks. This learning process is accompanied by practical instruction in the facility and can be supported by the academy's teachers if necessary.