German Healthcare Professions Vocabulary
This set covers the people you'd actually meet in a German Klinik or Praxis: the Hausarzt you see for a cold, the Chirurg who operates, the Krankenschwester or Pfleger checking on you overnight. One thing to catch early: Krankenschwester (nurse) only works for women, while men in the same job are Krankenpfleger or Pfleger, not Krankenschwester with a male article. German also splits caregiving roles that English lumps together, like Altenpfleger for someone who specifically cares for the elderly, distinct from general nursing.
Learn these 17 words
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All 17 words
plural: die Ärztinnen
female doctor
Die Ärztin arbeitet seit fünf Jahren hier. — The doctor has worked here for five years.
plural: die Apotheker
pharmacist
Der Apotheker erklärt mir die Nebenwirkungen des Medikaments. — The pharmacist explains the side effects of the medicine to me.
plural: die Hausärzte
general practitioner
Mein Hausarzt kennt meine ganze Familie. — My family doctor knows my whole family.
plural: die Altenpfleger
elderly caregiver
Der Altenpfleger kümmert sich um ältere Menschen. — The elderly caregiver looks after older people.
plural: die Chefärzte
head physician
Der Chefarzt leitet die ganze Abteilung. — The head physician manages the whole department.
plural: die Chirurgen
surgeon
Der Chirurg operiert heute drei Patienten. — The surgeon is operating on three patients today.
plural: die Dienste
service
Als Krankenschwester habe ich oft Frühdienst. — As a nurse, I often work early shifts.
plural: die Fachärzte
specialist doctor
Mein Facharzt hat eine lange Wartezeit. — My specialist doctor has a long waiting time.
plural: die Krankenpfleger
male nurse
Mein Bruder arbeitet als Krankenpfleger im Krankenhaus. — My brother works as a male nurse in the hospital.
plural: die Krankenschwestern
nurse
Meine Cousine möchte gern Krankenschwester werden. — My cousin wants to become a nurse.
plural: die Notärzte
emergency doctor
Der Notarzt kam sofort mit dem Rettungswagen. — The emergency doctor came immediately with the ambulance.
plural: die Pfleger
male nurse
Meine Freundin ist Pflegerin in einem Altersheim. — My friend is a nurse in a nursing home.
plural: die Pflegerinnen
female nurse
Die Pflegerin kümmert sich um die Patienten. — The female nurse takes care of the patients.
plural: die Physiotherapeuten
physiotherapist
Der Physiotherapeut hilft mir nach der Operation. — The physiotherapist helps me after the surgery.
plural: die Sozialarbeiter
social worker (male)
Die Sozialarbeiterin kommt einmal in der Woche. — The social worker comes once a week.
plural: die Sozialarbeiterinnen
social worker (female)
Die Sozialarbeiterin kommt einmal in der Woche. — The social worker comes once a week.
plural: die Logopädinnen
speech pathologist
Die Logopädin half dem Kind mit Sprachproblemen. — The speech pathologist helped the child with speech problems.
How to learn this set
Notice how many of these are compounds built on -arzt (doctor) or -pfleger/-pflegerin (carer): Hausarzt, Chefarzt, Facharzt, Notarzt all just swap the prefix onto arzt, and Krankenpfleger, Altenpfleger, Pflegerin work the same way with pfleger. Once you know arzt means doctor and pfleger means carer, you can decode new compounds like Zahnarzt (dentist) on your own instead of memorizing each one separately. Also drill the male/female pairs side by side, Sozialarbeiter/Sozialarbeiterin, Pfleger/Pflegerin, since the root barely changes but the article and ending do. Group Chirurg, Facharzt, and Physiotherapeut together as the specialist roles you'd hear referred to by name on a hospital floor.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Krankenschwester and Pflegerin?
Krankenschwester is the older, still very common word for a female nurse, historically tied to hospital settings. Pflegerin is broader and covers nursing or caregiving in general, including elderly care, so it fits contexts like a Pflegerin in a Pflegeheim (care home) as well as a hospital ward.
Is Krankenschwester used for men too?
No, Krankenschwester is grammatically and practically female. A male nurse is Krankenpfleger or simply Pfleger, so you need to switch words, not just the article.
What is the difference between Hausarzt, Facharzt, and Chefarzt?
Hausarzt is your regular general practitioner, the first doctor you see for most problems. Facharzt is a specialist you get referred to, like a Chirurg (surgeon), and Chefarzt is the senior physician heading a hospital department, a job title rather than a specialty.
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