Overview
- ZDF's four-part series Start auf Station: Die jungen Pflegerinnen follows four newly certified nurses and is available on the broadcaster's streaming portal with episodes scheduled to air on ZDF Mittagsmagazin from Monday, Nov. 2 to Friday, Nov. 6.
- The coverage focuses on Emilia, a 24-year-old nurse on the gastroenterology and endocrinology ward at Berlin's Charité, where many patients receive palliative care and deaths occur as part of routine work.
- During a filmed night shift a severely ill patient died and Emilia, accompanying someone at the end of life for the first time, became visibly emotional on camera and said she will not forget the experience.
- Emilia told the camera she insists on not leaving patients to die alone and that staff often have to 'keep functioning' and move quickly to the next tasks with little time to process grief.
- By showing everyday tasks and candid emotional moments, the series brings public attention to the emotional labor of nursing and could shape how audiences and policymakers view support needs for frontline caregivers.