Pre-selection
Candidates with OR-related background in source countries (e.g. surgical assistance, OR nursing, surgical technology).
OTA professional group
OTA – Surgical Technical Assistants
In the German operating theatre, OTA have been an independent profession since the ATA-OTA Act 2022. We are strategically expanding our international programme, with preparation at our in-house IAG nursing school.
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Why OTA
Since the ATA-OTA Act of 2022, Surgical Technical Assistance is a federally regulated training profession. Professionalisation has driven up demand. Operating theatre departments suffer from structural staff shortages. We operate one of the few international OTA programmes nationwide.
Our programme for OTA
Language
B2 as standard target, with OR-specific technical language: sterility, instrumentation, handovers, emergency communication.
IAG preparation
Course programme under ATA-OTA-G: surgical techniques, instrumentation, patient monitoring, emergency management, equipment handling.
Practical components
OR shadowing at partner clinics before the exam. Real OR routine as a prerequisite.
Recognition
Support for recognition as OTA with the relevant federal state authority.
Integration
Accompanied first shifts: mentors from the OR, shift-compatible support.
Integration
12-month support
After arrival, provided by our integration team
Airport pick-up
By dedicated personal mentors
Accommodation & settling in
Transfer to accommodation including support settling into the neighbourhood
Team preparation
Intercultural awareness and onboarding workshops for OR management
Authorities & daily life
Registration, bank account, health insurance card, mobile phone
Personal mentoring
Cultural mediation and individual support
Conflict prevention
Mediation within the team when tensions arise
Sustainable retention
Monthly check-ins, defined escalation path
OTA recognition path
Under the ATA-OTA Act 2022, OTA is an independent training profession with a federally standardised recognition path:
- Equivalence assessment of foreign training: theory and practice hours
- Knowledge exam for material differences: prepared at the IAG
- Adaptation programme as an alternative for partially equivalent training
- Temporary licence possible before full recognition: faster OR deployment
- Professional title 'Surgical Technical Assistant (OTA)' upon successful recognition
OTA in numbers
- 2022
- ATA-OTA-G enacted
- B2
- Language target
- AZAV
- IAG preparation
- 12+
- Months lead time
FAQ – OTA
OTA (Surgical Technical Assistance) has been an independent, federally regulated training profession under ATA-OTA-G since 2022. OTAs support the surgical team in preparing, carrying out and following up operations.
12–18 months. Language training and IAG preparation run partly in parallel; OR shadowing is concentrated in the last 3 months before the exam.
Yes, a temporary licence allows supervised deployment under the responsibility of a recognised OTA or surgeon. This speeds up practical integration and relieves your OR early on.
Tunisia and Turkey. Both countries have structured training pathways in surgical technology. Mapping to the German OTA profile is well established.
OTA for your OR – built up structurally
Talk to us about demand and lead time. We build programmes with clear quarterly milestones, even for the rarer professional groups.
Discuss demand