Shortage of skilled workers: student internships – the salvation for physiotherapists?

Shortage of skilled workers: student internships – the salvation for physiotherapists?

The situation on the job market for physiotherapists in the Oberhavel district is tense - and not just since yesterday. More and more positions remain unfilled, while the need for qualified personnel increases at the same time. In this challenging situation, many practices are increasingly relying on student interns to close the gap. Merle Hennig, 15 years old and a student at Runge-Gymnasium in Oranienburg, is currently doing an internship in a physiotherapy practice in Lehnitz. Your visit to the workshop is not only a nice experience, but also a promising career decision.

“I feel right at home here!” enthuses the young intern. Under the guidance of physiotherapist Matthias Krüger, who has been running his practice for 20 years, she provides support in various areas - be it helping patients in the fitness room, ultrasound, preparing files or even massages. Even though Merle was able to finally solidify her dream career through the internship, she is also considering a career in politics. Their experience shows that student internships not only serve as career orientation, but are also an important step in retaining the urgently needed personnel in practices in the long term, as is the initiative of Vipana provides.

Shortage of skilled workers in the healthcare sector

According to the report of Märkischen Allgemeine Zeitung Krüger makes it clear how important it is to improve the framework conditions for training places. There are only two vocational schools in the region and teachers are few and far between. It is all the more important that the processes for finding interns are designed to be simple and direct, which Vipana makes possible with a digital tool. This links schools and practices without bureaucratic effort and thereby increases the visibility for smaller institutions in the competition for specialist staff.

Although study and training qualifications in the healthcare sector are increasing, the shortage of skilled workers remains acute. An analysis by the German Hospital Institute shows that around 15,400 doctors and 32,100 registered nurses will enter the labor market by 2035. However, these numbers will not be enough to fill the vacancies, as many employees are retiring at the same time. Gerald Gass, CEO of the German Hospital Association, warns: “The shortage of skilled workers cannot be solved by more staff alone.”

The future of the healthcare sector

The increasing number of part-time jobs and the desire for a better work-life balance also contribute to the challenges in the healthcare sector. The recommendations range from more digitalization to more flexible deployment of personnel and de-bureaucratization of work processes. Ultimately, bureaucracy often means that valuable time that doctors and nurses could spend with patients falls by the wayside. A rethink is necessary so that careers in healthcare become more attractive and more young people get involved in these important jobs.

It is evident that the course for the future must urgently be reset. As long as it is not possible to improve training places and working conditions, the shortage of skilled workers will remain an urgent problem that will have a lasting impact on the population's health care. Perhaps Merle Hennig's example could be a ray of hope - and show that young people who are now getting a taste of the profession can become future heroes in the healthcare sector.