Fewer and fewer people enrol to become nurses

The ANIL President confirmed that the main reason why most people continue to give up their jobs in the healthcare sector is the enormous workload.

According to Hanff, the interaction within the teams has also changed "especially during the pandemic". She made it clear that the primary source of stress is not face masks, but "the feeling you get when you come home that you didn't do everything you should have done". Hanff stated that 35% of nurses report feeling exhausted in the morning "simply at the notion of the new workday ahead". This has a great impact on people's personal lives as well, with 70% of nurses saying that they "almost never have the no energy to take care of their personal lives".

40% of nurses due to retire in the next few years

The sector is currently said to be in a "critical situation" with regard to succession. 40% of the country's nurses are due to retire in the next few years, and a third of them "frequently" considers leaving the profession. In addition, fewer and fewer people are reportedly enrolling in the Higher Technician Certificate (BTS) programmes of the Lycée technique pour professions de santé (LTPS, "Secondary School for Health Professions"). According to Hanff, the main reason for this is because there is "a lot of uncertainty". Many reforms are on hold and there is a lack of information, the ANIL President explained.

In fact, the bachelor's degree for nurses, which ANIL has been calling for for years, was supposed to be introduced this academic year, but the plans were ultimately scrapped and postponed.

'The government needs to be clearer in its messaging'

This type of degree should feature a practical curriculum as well as interdisciplinary teaching, for example with medical students, Hanff explained. "More than 90% of the students currently pursuing a BTS indicate that they would actually prefer to do a Bachelor's degree rather than a BTS," she pointed out, adding that this also explains why fewer students are currently enrolled at LTPS.

For this reason, the government needs to be clearer in its messaging, for example by stating unequivocally that if someone pursues a BTS, it will be fully recognised as a Bachelor or they will be able to pursue the Bachelor afterwards, Hanff stressed. "In France, the majority of nurses have a bachelor's degree," the President of ANIL pointed out. "In Luxembourg, two thirds of nurses come from abroad," meaning that by introducing a bachelor's degree, Luxembourg could also align its curriculum with that of its neighbouring countries.

In anticipation of the autumn season and a possible new wave of Covid-19, it would be a good idea to set up "multi-purpose teams of temporary replacements" who could intervene when staff are off sick. More powerful computers would also be "absolutely necessary," according to the ANIL president.