Practical part: procedures (Handlungsabläufe) in the Kenntnisprüfung

Which tasks are reserved for registered nurses (Pflegefachpersonen) under § 4 PflBG (Nursing Professions Act)?

• Independently carrying out injections, infusions and dressing changes delegated by a doctor
• All basic care tasks such as personal hygiene, mobilisation and help with eating
• Assessing care needs, managing the nursing process and evaluating and assuring the quality of care
• Writing the care plan, while evaluating the quality of care is the ward manager’s responsibility

Explanation: What is reserved is not individual manual tasks but the nursing process: assessing and determining care needs, organising, designing and managing the nursing process, and analysing, evaluating and assuring quality. That is exactly what examiners ask about in the practical part.

When is alcohol-based hand disinfection alone not sufficient?

• After contact with MRSA — then also wash your hands, because MRSA is resistant to alcohol
• After contact with spore-forming pathogens such as Clostridioides difficile — then also wash your hands
• After taking off gloves — then wash instead of disinfecting, because powder inhibits the effect
• After contact with norovirus — then wash your hands instead of disinfecting, because alcohol does not work against viruses

Explanation: Alcohol does not kill spores; only washing removes them mechanically. After gloves you always disinfect; with MRSA, correct disinfection is sufficient. Against noroviruses a (limited) virucidal hand disinfectant works — washing alone is not enough.