In the current issue of the trade journal care konkret (issue 28/29, July 10, 2026, Vincentz Network Verlag), our Managing Director Ivo Strassenburg spoke with Ilgin Seren Evisen (Ankaadia GmbH) about what sustainable integration in nursing really means today, and why international professionals sometimes leave early.
The difference happens before arrival
In the interview, Ivo makes clear: integration doesn't begin at the airport, but long before, in the home country. What matters is building trust early, through honesty, reliability, and consistency from the very first contact. Dedicated integration managers accompany the entire process and remain trusted contacts for the professionals for years.
What organizations that keep their staff do differently
Successful organizations create clear responsibilities for integration: fixed points of contact on the team, active language support even during working hours, and deliberate opportunities to connect outside of shifts. Just as important: the professionals' qualifications must be recognized and put to proper use.
„Successful organizations create clear responsibilities for integration.“ Ivo Strassenburg, in an interview with care konkret
What should become politically easier
Ivo wishes for simpler, nationally unified procedures for recognition and visas, currently requirements and processes differ significantly from state to state. At the same time, he advocates for more social attention to a genuine culture of staying, since Germany will permanently depend on international professionals.
The full interview "Helping international nursing professionals stay" was published in care konkret, issue 28/29 (July 10, 2026). Questions by Ilgin Seren Evisen, Ankaadia GmbH.