What Is a Nurse Called in German? Krankenschwester, Pfleger & More
There are several German words for “nurse,” and which one you use matters more than it might seem — the terminology has shifted in recent years, and knowing the current standard terms will make you sound current, not outdated, in a professional context.
The main terms
Krankenschwester (female nurse) and Krankenpfleger (male nurse) are the older, still widely understood terms — literally “sick-sister” and “sick-carer.” Most patients and the general public still use and recognise these terms, and you’ll hear them constantly in everyday speech.
Pflegefachkraft (or Pflegefachfrau/Pflegefachmann for gender-specific forms) is the current official professional title, introduced with Germany’s 2020 nursing reform (Pflegeberufereformgesetz), which unified previously separate training pathways for general, paediatric, and elderly nursing into a single generalist qualification. This is the term you’ll see in official documents, job postings, and professional contexts.
Krankenpflegerin is the female equivalent of Krankenpfleger, sometimes used alongside or instead of Krankenschwester.
Altenpfleger/Altenpflegerin specifically refers to elder care nursing — a distinction that existed before the 2020 reform and is still used informally, even though the reform folded this specialisation into the broader Pflegefachkraft qualification.
Which term to actually use
In casual, everyday conversation — with patients, in general conversation — Krankenschwester and Krankenpfleger remain completely natural and widely understood. Nobody will be confused or think you’re out of date using them in this context.
In professional and official contexts — job applications, your CV, official recognition (Anerkennung) paperwork, workplace documentation — Pflegefachfrau / Pflegefachmann (the official title) or the general term Pflegefachkraft is the current standard and the term you should use to sound professionally current.
When referring to your own qualification for recognition purposes, use the term that matches your actual original qualification and the German equivalent being recognised — this is worth confirming precisely with the recognition authority handling your case, since exact terminology can matter for how your qualification maps onto German categories.
Related vocabulary worth knowing
- die Pflege — care/nursing (the general concept)
- die Station — ward
- die Schicht — shift
- die Übergabe — handover
- der Patient / die Patientin — patient
- die Visite — doctor’s rounds
- verabreichen — to administer (medication)
- der/die Vorgesetzte — supervisor
- die Anerkennung — recognition (of a foreign qualification)
- die Fachsprachprüfung — the specialist language exam some states require
A quick note on gendered German
German nouns for professions traditionally have separate masculine and feminine forms (Pfleger/Pflegerin), and official German increasingly uses gender-neutral or both-forms phrasing in formal documents (Pflegefachkräfte as a plural covering all genders, or explicit Pflegefachfrau/-mann pairing). In spoken, everyday contexts, using the traditional gendered form matching the person you’re referring to remains completely standard and natural.
Knowing the right term is one thing — using it confidently and correctly in a real handover or conversation with a colleague is another. SipLingo includes real workplace scenarios built around exactly these situations, with corrections in your own language. Try it free →
Related healthcare role vocabulary
- der Arzt / die Ärztin — doctor
- der Chirurg / die Chirurgin — surgeon
- der/die Physiotherapeut(in) — physiotherapist
- der/die Sanitäter(in) — paramedic
- der/die Hebamme — midwife (note: Hebamme is grammatically feminine regardless of the practitioner’s gender, an older but still-used pattern in German)
- der/die Auszubildende (Azubi) — trainee/apprentice
- die Stationsleitung — ward management/head nurse role
Common workplace phrases worth knowing alongside the terminology
Beyond the job titles themselves, a few phrases come up constantly in real clinical settings: “Ich übernehme die Schicht” (I’m taking over the shift), “Der Patient hat Schmerzen” (the patient is in pain), “Bitte informieren Sie den Arzt” (please inform the doctor), and “Ich dokumentiere das” (I’ll document that). Knowing the correct professional title is a small but real part of sounding credible in a clinical workplace — pairing it with genuine comfort in these everyday functional phrases matters just as much for day-to-day communication.
Practise your German out loud with SipLingo, free to try on iPhone and Android:
Nurse in German: male, female and plural forms
German nouns for jobs change with gender, and each has its own article. Here are all the forms you will meet:
| English | Female (singular) | Male (singular) | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| nurse (everyday) | die Krankenschwester | der Krankenpfleger | die Krankenschwestern / die Krankenpfleger |
| nurse (female form of Pfleger) | die Krankenpflegerin | – | die Krankenpflegerinnen |
| registered nurse (official title) | die Pflegefachfrau | der Pflegefachmann | die Pflegefachfrauen / die Pflegefachmänner |
| qualified nursing professional (job ads) | die Pflegefachkraft | die Pflegefachkraft | die Pflegefachkräfte |
| care worker, carer (general) | die Pflegekraft | die Pflegekraft | die Pflegekräfte |
Two points that confuse learners:
- There is no male form of Krankenschwester. Schwester means sister, so a man is der Krankenpfleger, never “Krankenbruder”. In a hospital, a male nurse is often just called der Pfleger.
- Pflegefachkraft and Pflegekraft are always feminine (die), even when the person is a man: Herr Novak ist eine sehr erfahrene Pflegefachkraft.
The official title since 2020
The Pflegeberufegesetz (Nursing Professions Act) came into force on 1 January 2020. It created one protected professional title for the new general nursing training: Pflegefachfrau or Pflegefachmann, with Pflegefachperson now also listed as a gender-neutral option. Only people with a permit from the competent authority may use it. The older title Gesundheits- und Krankenpflegerin / Gesundheits- und Krankenpfleger is still held by people trained under the old rules.
Pflegefachkraft is the word you will see most in job ads, but it is a general term, not the protected title. For a full breakdown, see Pflegefachfrau and Pflegefachmann meaning.
In Austria the common title is diplomierte Gesundheits- und Krankenpflegerin / diplomierter Gesundheits- und Krankenpfleger (DGKP). In Switzerland you will see Pflegefachfrau HF / Pflegefachmann HF.
“Nurse practitioner” in German
There is no exact German equivalent, because the role as it exists in the US or UK has no matching legal title in Germany. The closest terms you will see are:
- Advanced Practice Nurse (APN), used in English inside German hospitals
- die Pflegeexpertin APN / der Pflegeexperte APN
- Pflegefachfrau / Pflegefachmann mit Masterabschluss (with a master’s degree)
If you are a nurse practitioner moving to Germany, describe your tasks on your CV rather than translating the title. Recognition is based on your training, see how to become a nurse in Germany.
How to pronounce the main words
- Krankenschwester: KRAHN-ken-shvess-ter. The sch sounds like English “sh”, the w like English “v”.
- Krankenpfleger: KRAHN-ken-pflay-ger. Say the p and the f together, quickly: “pf”.
- Pflegefachfrau: PFLAY-geh-fakh-frow. The ch is the throaty sound in Scottish “loch”.
- Pflegefachmann: PFLAY-geh-fakh-mahn.
The stress is always on the first syllable.
Official sources
For the official details and the latest updates, see:
- Federal Ministry of Health (BMG): FAQ on the Nursing Professions Act (German) – 3-year generalist training, pay, Pflegefachfrau/-mann title, specialisations
- Anerkennung in Deutschland (BIBB): General nurse or healthcare assistant? (recognition portal) – How Pflegefachperson and nursing assistant roles differ for recognition
Frequently asked questions
What is the official German word for nurse now? Pflegefachfrau / Pflegefachmann is the current official professional title (Pflegefachkraft is the general term used in job ads), established by Germany’s 2020 nursing reform. Krankenschwester and Krankenpfleger remain widely used and understood in everyday speech.
Is Krankenschwester outdated? Not outdated in casual conversation — it’s still completely natural and widely used and understood. It’s simply not the current official professional title, which is now Pflegefachfrau / Pflegefachmann; in job ads you will mostly see the general term Pflegefachkraft.
What’s the difference between Pfleger and Pflegefachkraft? Pfleger is a more general, older term for a male caregiver/nurse. Pflegefachfrau / Pflegefachmann is the official professional title following the 2020 reform, while Pflegefachkraft is the general term used, applicable regardless of gender, or with gendered variants (Pflegefachfrau/-mann).
Is Krankenschwester considered offensive or wrong to use now? No — it’s not offensive, just not the current official title. Patients, colleagues and the general public still use it constantly and naturally; it simply isn’t the term you’d use on official recognition paperwork.
What should I put on my CV if I’m a nurse applying for recognition in Germany? Use Pflegefachkraft or the gendered equivalent matching your role, and confirm the precise terminology with the recognition authority (Anerkennungsstelle) handling your case, since exact terms can matter for how your original qualification is categorised.
What is the male form of Krankenschwester? Der Krankenpfleger. There is no masculine form built from Schwester; in daily hospital speech a male nurse is often called der Pfleger.
What is the plural of nurse in German? Die Krankenschwestern (female), die Krankenpfleger (male or mixed), and in official language die Pflegefachfrauen and die Pflegefachmänner. Job ads often use die Pflegefachkräfte.
What is the difference between Krankenpfleger and Krankenschwester? They describe the same job. Krankenschwester is the female word, Krankenpfleger the male word, and Krankenpflegerin a female form many people now prefer.
How do you say nurse practitioner in German? There is no exact equivalent. You will most often see “Advanced Practice Nurse (APN)” or “Pflegeexpertin / Pflegeexperte APN”.
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