Career change as a surgical technologist (OTA)

Career change paths

• Medical device consultant for the operating room

  Also: Specialist consultant for clinical nutrition

  With on-the-job training

  In the field sales team of a manufacturer, you advise clinics, practices and care facilities, instruct staff in the products and support their use, in the OR also directly at the table.

  What you bring:

  From the OR, you know instruments, implants and medical devices, and as a dietitian (Diätassistent/in), you know drinking and tube nutrition and their use in sick people.

  How to get there:

  Manufacturers train you on their products for a few weeks. Under § 83 MPDG, your medical training together with this product training counts as expertise for medical devices. A class B driving license and willingness to travel are expected, and in field sales, part of the pay often depends on success.*Regulated by law (Medical Devices Law Implementation Act (MPDG) § 83).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursLots of contact with people

  €5,550gross per monthMedian salary

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• Clinical coder (Kodierfachkraft)

  Also: Staff member in OR documentation and revenue assurance

  With on-the-job training

  In coding, you translate operation reports and findings into diagnosis and procedure codes and make sure services are billed completely.

  What you bring:

  From the OR or anesthesia, you know procedures, anesthesia methods, implants and material consumption in detail and document every day.

  How to get there:

  You can start in medical controlling or billing at a hospital with on-the-job training. A course to become a clinical coder at a training provider usually takes a few weeks to a few months, also alongside work. Clinics value OR experience especially in surgical specialties, and the work is in the office and usually without shift work (Schichtdienst).*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an office

  €4,447gross per monthMedian salary

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• Head of a communal catering kitchen

  Also: Head of the diet kitchen in a hospital

  With on-the-job trainingPromotion

  In charge of a diet or communal kitchen, you are responsible for menus, purchasing, staff and the hygiene concept for a clinic, daycare center or senior home.

  What you bring:

  As a dietitian, you plan therapeutic diets and menus, know nutritional calculation, allergen labeling and food hygiene and work closely with the kitchen.

  How to get there:

  Clinics, rehabilitation facilities and caterers also fill management positions in diet and communal kitchens with experienced dietitians and train them in cost calculation and staff management. For managing large kitchens, further training in catering management alongside work at training providers or professional associations helps.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Physically demanding

  €3,913gross per monthMedian salary

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• Nutrition counselor in your own practice

  Also: Nutrition counselor in a health center

  With on-the-job training

  In your own practice or a health center, you advise individuals and groups, lead prevention courses and work together with doctors' practices.

  What you bring:

  As a dietitian, you advise patients on diabetes, overweight, intolerances and malnutrition and turn medical requirements into diet plans that work in everyday life.

  How to get there:

  With your training, you can become self-employed or start at counseling centers and large practices. For health insurance funds to subsidize courses, you usually need recognition of your courses, for example through the Central Review Body for Prevention (Zentrale Prüfstelle Prävention). For self-employment, start-up seminars of the chambers and start-up counseling help, and your workload usually only builds up over some time.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people
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• OR coordinator

  Also: Head of the anesthesia or OR functional service

  With further trainingPromotion

  As an OR coordinator or head, you plan operating rooms and staff, solve bottlenecks in the daily schedule and pay attention to hygiene, documentation and profitability.

  What you bring:

  From the OR or anesthesia, you know the procedures, instruments, hygiene requirements and the cooperation of surgery, anesthesia and nursing.

  How to get there:

  You usually reach this role after several years in the OR, often through the deputy head position. Clinics and training providers offer further training alongside work for managing a functional unit or for OR management. The upgrading course for certified senior specialist in health and social services (Geprüfter Fachwirt im Gesundheits- und Sozialwesen, IHK) fits as a recognized qualification. With your health profession regulated by federal law, you are admitted after one year of work practice, and the course is eligible for funding through Aufstiegs-BAföG (state funding for advanced vocational qualifications).*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Shift workPhysically lightLittle customer contact

  €5,488gross per monthMedian salary

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• Hygiene inspector at the public health office (Gesundheitsamt)

  With further training

  As a hygiene inspector, you check clinics, outpatient surgery centers, practices and communal facilities for the public health office and investigate outbreaks of infection.

  What you bring:

  You work every day according to strict hygiene rules, for example in the OR or in the diet kitchen, and know disinfection, sterility or food hygiene from practice.

  How to get there:

  You train in the public health service under state law, with theory at an academy or technical college and practice at the public health office, usually about 2 years depending on the federal state. Public health offices usually select applicants with completed training in a health profession for this.*Regulated by law (State law: training and examination regulations of the states for hygiene inspectors).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hours

  €4,905gross per monthMedian salary

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• Paramedic (Notfallsanitäter/in)

  With further training

  In the ambulance service, you treat people in an emergency independently at the scene and on the way to the clinic.

  What you bring:

  As an anesthesia technical assistant (ATA), you know anesthesia, airway management, access lines, emergency medication and the monitoring of patients from daily work.

  How to get there:

  You train to become a paramedic, 3 years with a training allowance. On request, the responsible authority can credit equivalent parts of your previous training toward the duration. For the ambulance, a class C1 driving license is often required, and the work is in shifts (Schichtdienst).*Regulated by law (Paramedic Act (NotSanG) §§ 8, 9).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically demandingLots of contact with people

  €4,175gross per monthMedian salary

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• Registered nurse (Pflegefachfrau/Pflegefachmann)

  Also: Nurse in the intensive care unit

  With vocational training

  As a registered nurse, you look after people throughout the day, for example on intensive care or recovery wards, and can later do specialist further training such as anesthesia and intensive care nursing.

  What you bring:

  From the OR or anesthesia, you know the care of patients before and after procedures, their monitoring, hygiene and the handling of medical technology.

  How to get there:

  You train to become a registered nurse, 3 years full-time or up to 5 years part-time, with a training allowance. On request, the responsible authority can credit an equivalent training for up to two thirds of the duration. How much is credited for ATA or OTA is decided case by case.*Regulated by law (Nursing Professions Act (PflBG) § 12).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Often at weekendsShift workPhysically demandingLots of contact with people

  €4,421gross per monthMedian salary

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Salary: median of all full-time employees in the job, gross per month excluding special payments, as of April 2025. Half earn more, half earn less. Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), table 62361-0030, license dl-de/by-2-0. Assigned to the jobs by quereinsteiger.de. No guarantee of accuracy.