What nursing training courses are available in Austria?
Below you will find an overview of the training opportunities that will enable you to work in the nursing sector in Austria. Be it vocational training, second-chance education or retraining: the care sector offers a wide range of training opportunities for all levels of education and all ages.
Nursing assistant (Pflegeassistenz – PA)
Training as a nursing assistant (Pflegeassistent:in) takes one year (full-time) and one and a half or two years (part-time). Over the course of 1,600 hours of theoretical and practical training, nursing assistants learn the basics of nursing, therapy and medical diagnostics.
Prerequisites for training as a nursing assistant (PA):
- Minimum age of 17 years
- Completion of 9 school levels OR compulsory school-leaving examination
- Physical and mental aptitude for the job
- Trustworthiness
- Sufficient knowledge of German to practise the profession
At the end of the PA training, you receive the title of nursing assistant (Pflegeassistent:in). You can start working immediately with this title. The PA-training can also be extended to include training as a specialised nursing assistant (Pflegefachassistent:in – PFA).
Nursing assistant with vocational matriculation examination (Pflegeassistenz mit Berufsreifeprüfung – PA)
Training as a nursing assistant (Pflegeassistent:in) at a specialised school completes the compulsory training and concludes with a vocational matriculation examination. This educational path lasts three and a half years and is possible for young people immediately after completing the 8th grade.
Prerequisites for training as a nursing assistant with vocational matriculation examination (PA):
- Successful completion of the 8th grade
- Physical and mental aptitude for the job
- Trustworthiness
- Sufficient knowledge of German to practise the profession
At the end of the PA-training programme with a vocational matriculation exam, you are awarded the title of nursing assistant (Pflegeassistent:in). With this title, you can start working immediately. Further training, such as for the specialised nursing assistant (Pflegefachassistenz – PFA), is also possible.
Specialised nursing assistant (Pflegefachassistenz – PFA)
The specialised nursing assistant (PFA) training programme lasts two years (full-time) or three years (part-time) and covers a period of 3,200 hours in theory and practice. The specialised nursing assistant programme builds on the foundations of the nursing assistant training. The PFA can be undertaken as additional training after completing the PA (in this case, it is started in the second year), but it can also be started directly.
The PFA deepens and expands the knowledge of the PA. Further techniques and therapies are added, building on the basic principles of nursing training.
Prerequisites for training as a specialised nursing assistant (PFA):
- Minimum age of 17 years
- Successful completion of 10 school levels
OR
- Completed apprenticeship
OR
- Authorisation to work as a nursing assistant (in this case, it is possible to enter the 2nd year of training as a sepcialised nursing assistant)
AS WELL AS
- Physical and mental aptitude for the job
- Trustworthiness
- Sufficient knowledge of German to practise the profession
At the end of the PFA-training programme, you receive the title of specialised nursing assistant (Pflegefachassistent:in). With this title, you can start working immediately. After completing the PFA-training, you can also join the Bachelor’s degree programme for Healthcare and Nursing in the 3rd semester.
Specialised nursing assistant with Austrian Matura (Pflegefachassistenz – PFA)
The PFA-training programme can be completed parallel to the Austrian Matura. Corresponding school programmes take five years and can be started after completing the 8th grade.
Prerequisites for training as a specialised nursing assistant with Austrian Matura (PFA):
- Positiver Abschluss der 8. Schulstufe
- –
- –
- Physical and mental aptitude for the job
- Trustworthiness
- Sufficient knowledge of German to practise the profession
At the end of the PFA-training programme with Austrian Matura, you are awarded the title of specialised nursing assistant (Pflegefachassistent:in – PFA). With this title, you can start working immediately. After completing the PFA-course, you can also enter the Bachelor’s degree programme for Healthcare and Nursing in the 3rd semester.
Bachelor’s degree programme Healthcare and Nursing (BSc Gesundheits- und Krankenpflege)
The Bachelor’s degree Healthcare and Nursing consists of a three-year programme (6 semesters) at a specialised school.
The Bachelor’s programme covers both the basics of nursing as well as more in-depth aspects.
Prerequisites for the Bachelor’s degree programme Healthcare and Nursing (BSc Gesundheits- und Krankenpflege):
- General higher education entrance qualification, vocational entrance qualification, university entrance qualification or an equivalent document
OR
- Relevant professional qualifications such as (with additional examinations to be taken):
- Completed training as a nursing assistant
- Diploma of successfully completed training in general or psychiatric healthcare and nursing or paediatric and adolescent nursing
- Diploma of successfully completed training in medical-technical specialist services
- Diploma of successfully completed training as a social care worker
- Professional authorisation in nursing assistance
- Apprenticeship qualification in the following areas: Optician, bandage maker, chemist, masseur, orthopaedic technician
AS WELL AS
- Health suitability for the profession
- Trustworthiness
- Sufficient German language skills (B2) to practise the profession
The programme concludes with the academic title Bachelor of Science and the professional title DGKP (Certified Health and Nursing Professional). With this title, graduates can begin working immediately.
Further education
Additional training and further education programmes expand the knowledge and scope of activities of already trained nursing staff. There are further training programmes as well as special training and academic courses.
There are many possibilities:
- Algesiological care
- Geriatric care
- Anaesthetic care
- Endoscopic care
- Family work
- Forensics
- Geriatric care
- Gerontology
- Intensive care
- Cardiological care
- Paediatric and adolescent care
- Paediatric intensive care
- Continence counselling
- Emergency care
- Oncological care
- Palliative care
- Dementia care
- Care for people with disabilities
- Care for renal replacement therapy
- Care for psychiatric patients
- Care for ventilated patients
- Preclinical care and nursing
- Practical instruction
- Wound management
- and many more.
Intensive care, paediatric and adolescent care, and psychiatric nursing are the most frequently mentioned and well-known specialisations.
The requirements for further training vary, but require at least a professional licence in the field of healthcare and nursing. The duration of the further training courses also differs.
Master’s degree programmes
Master’s degree programmes expand the scope of knowledge and activities of nurses. Some of these programmes are also offered on a part-time basis. A prerequisite for a Master’s degree programme is the completion of a Bachelor’s degree.
Current opportunities to study for a Master’s degree in nursing are:
- Advanced Nursing Practice
- Advanced Nursing Counseling
- Advanced Nursing Education
- Nursing science
- Nursing and health pedagogy
- Nursing and health management
Master’s programmes in the field of nursing open many doors to the future. They can be continued with a doctorate.
PhD programme Nursing Science
In the PhD programme for Nursing Science, nursing methods can be intensively examined, tested, improved and expanded. Research in the doctoral programme aims to continuously develop nursing science.
The prerequisite for the doctorate is a previously completed Master’s degree programme.
Nostrification/Authentication
Nostrification is the equivalence assessment of nursing skills acquired outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland.
If the nursing training was acquired within the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, an authentication is easily possible.
Information on recognition and nostrification can be found at Nursing in Austria.
Internships
If you are interested in healthcare professions, some institutions offer internships. This allows interns to take a first look at the world of nursing and gain experience before deciding on a training programme.
Some institutions also offer trial days to provide initial experience.