The Slovak healthcare system critically lacks about 15,000 nurses, and this number will only grow as older employees retire. At the same time, there are hundreds of qualified nurses from Ukraine in the country who cannot join the system due to bureaucratic obstacles. Many of them are forced to work as cleaners or go to neighboring Czechia, where the employment process is much simpler.
The Slovak Chamber of Nurses and Midwives (Slovenská komora sestier a pôrodných asistentiek, SKSaPA) has been criticizing the government's inaction on this issue for years.
What is the main problem?
The main obstacle is the non-compliance of the Ukrainian education system with European Union directives, especially regarding the number of hours of practical training. According to experts, Ukrainian nurses need about a thousand hours of practice to have their diplomas recognized.
Iveta Lazorová, president of SKSaPA, explains that Slovakia has not created any system for integrating foreign specialists. "While Czechia has had a 'Ukraine' program for ten years, where people first learn the language, the healthcare system, practice professional skills, and only then go through nostrification, we have done nothing," she notes.
The situation is becoming absurd. Alona Kurotová, head of the International Association of Doctors and Medical Workers in Slovakia, says she has personally encountered cases where qualified Ukrainian nurses worked as cleaners in hospitals. According to her, the problem existed even before the full-scale invasion, but it has become even more acute now.
How does it work in Czechia?
Czechia, which also faces a shortage of medical staff, has developed an effective program to attract specialists from abroad. It includes several stages:
- Language training. Candidates undergo intensive Czech language courses, including medical terminology.
- Familiarization with the system. Future employees learn how the Czech healthcare system functions, its standards, and protocols.
- Additional practice. Nurses and doctors undergo the necessary practice to compensate for differences in educational programs.
- Nostrification. Only after successfully completing the previous stages are documents submitted for educational recognition.
This approach allows for the smooth integration of specialists, ensuring both the quality of medical care and the adaptation of the medical professionals themselves.
What awaits Ukrainian nurses in Slovakia?
Unlike the Czech model, the process of recognizing qualifications in Slovakia is complex and non-transparent. Even after completing all stages, a Ukrainian nurse with a higher education and specialization can only expect a position as a "practical nurse-assistant" (praktická sestra – asistentka), which corresponds to the level of secondary medical education and has significantly fewer responsibilities.
There are known cases where highly qualified specialists, such as an instrumental nurse with many years of experience, could not realize their potential in Slovakia and eventually moved to Czechia, where they were offered a job in their profession.
Are there any developments?
The Slovak Ministry of Health has long given general comments that it is "studying models" and looking for "legally possible solutions." However, recently, the first positive news has emerged.
In cooperation with the Ministry of Education, a simplified procedure has been developed for Ukrainian nurses with a bachelor's degree. The process now looks like this:
- Submission of documents to the Ministry of Education.
- Within two months, the department schedules a professional aptitude exam, which consists only of a practical part.
- The exam is organized by the Slovak Medical University (Slovenská zdravotnícka univerzita) in Bratislava.
- After successfully passing the practical exam, the ministry issues a decision recognizing the diploma.
These changes give hope that the situation with the integration of Ukrainian medical professionals will finally move forward. This is especially important given that thousands of Slovak nurses will retire in the coming years, which could cause a collapse in the healthcare system.
