The Nursing Crisis of the 1960s: Origins and Municipal Crisis Management

The nursing crisis that developed in West Germany in the 1960s was considered a major social challenge. The causes were complex and lay primarily in the denominational motherhouse system, which gradually began to erode around this time. The problem of a shortage of young staff went in tandem with the dissolution of the old structures and was exacerbated by an expansion of the hospitals, which required more and more personnel. The responses varied greatly from region to region. The example of the city of Stuttgart serves an in-depth examination both of federal policy strategies for solving the problem and of the specific implementation of these strategies within local communities. Measures included advertising for new staff, diversifying training, recruiting foreign nursing staff, and improving working conditions.