Empowering Women in Healthcare: TERN’s Mission for Gender Equity

Introduction: The Vital Role of Women in Healthcare

In 2025, women stand strong as the cornerstone of global healthcare systems, delivering compassionate care as nurses, caregivers, and frontline workers. Despite their critical contributions, they face entrenched barriers—gender bias, limited leadership opportunities, work-life balance struggles, and inadequate mentorship—that hinder their professional growth. These challenges not only limit individual potential but also undermine the inclusivity and innovation of healthcare systems worldwide. Addressing them is a matter of equity and a necessity for building resilient, effective healthcare ecosystems.

TERN Group stands at the forefront of this transformation. Through innovative programs, mentorship, and international placement services, TERN empowers female healthcare professionals to overcome systemic hurdles, lead with confidence, and reshape the future of global healthcare. By fostering skills, providing opportunities, and advocating for gender equity, TERN is not just changing careers but transforming lives and communities.

Discover Laxmi’s inspiring journey to see how TERN empowers women in nursing.

The Barriers Women Face in Healthcare

Women form nearly 70% of the global healthcare workforce, yet they occupy fewer than 25% of leadership roles. This stark disparity reflects deep-rooted structural and cultural barriers that persist in the industry. Understanding these challenges is key to dismantling them:

• Gender Bias: Stereotypes undermine women’s credibility, forcing them to prove their competence repeatedly. Even with equal or superior qualifications, female nurses and caregivers often face skepticism in high-stakes roles.
• Leadership Gaps: Systemic promotion and hiring practices favor men, sidelining qualified women from executive and decision-making positions. This perpetuates a cycle of underrepresentation.
• Work-Life Balance: Societal expectations place disproportionate caregiving responsibilities on women, limiting their time and energy for professional development or leadership roles.
• Lack of Mentorship: Without access to networks or sponsors, women struggle to navigate career pathways. Unlike male counterparts, they often lack advocates to champion their advancement.

These barriers stifle individual growth and limit healthcare systems’ ability to reflect the diversity of the populations they serve. TERN tackles these issues head-on, offering comprehensive support to empower women in nursing and caregiving to rise above systemic constraints.

TERN’s Women at the Helm of Its Mission

TERN is proudly led by a dynamic, women-centred team that deeply understands the challenges female healthcare professionals face. Our female leaders, ranging from one of the founding members overseeing all central functions to women leading marketing, sales, HR, operations and more, drive initiatives designed with empathy, equity, and excellence. This women-led approach ensures that every aspect of our work - be it guidance, training, or global placements—addresses the unique needs of women in healthcare. By fostering a supportive environment, TERN empowers its team and candidates to thrive, creating a ripple effect of change in global healthcare systems. With so many women at crucial roles making integral decisions, TERN fosters an inclusive environment where merit is the sole criterion for success, free from gender bias, empowering all team members and candidates to thrive and create transformative change in global healthcare.

Our commitment to women’s empowerment is not just a mission—it’s a movement.

How TERN Empowers Women

TERN’s holistic approach combines mentorship, skill-building, and international opportunities to help women overcome barriers and achieve their full potential in global healthcare careers.

Mentorship for Confidence and Growth

Mentorship is a cornerstone of TERN’s empowerment strategy. We connect female healthcare professionals with seasoned mentors who provide practical guidance and emotional support. These mentors, attuned to cultural and gender-specific challenges, offer insights into patient care, workplace navigation, and leadership development. By building confidence and clarity, they help women overcome self-doubt and pursue ambitious career goals, from senior nursing roles to healthcare administration.

Skill-Building for Career Success

TERN’s training programs don’t just stop at the blatant requirements, such as language or documentation (Internal Link: Read more about those extensive processes here) but also enhance soft skills, such as communication, adaptability, and cultural competence. Our emphasis on continuous learning ensures women are equipped to excel in complex, multicultural healthcare environments. The TERN mission involves a commitment to empower women to break through systemic barriers and thrive in high-demand settings.

Global Opportunities for Transformation

TERN opens doors to career-defining roles in countries like the UK, Germany, and the UAE. Beyond job placement, we provide end-to-end support, including visa processing, housing, language training, and cultural integration. These international experiences foster independence, cross-cultural fluency, and leadership potential—traits essential for long-term success in global healthcare. By ensuring a seamless transition, TERN transforms opportunities into catalysts for personal and professional growth.

Ready to launch your global nursing career? Explore TERN’s programs today.

Success Stories: Transforming Lives

TERN’s impact is evident in the stories of women who have thrived with our support. One nurse from a small village in Karnataka overcame immense financial and social barriers to secure a nursing role in Germany. Her whole family mocked her and her father was ridiculed. With TERN’s structured German language training, certification assistance, and cultural orientation, she gained the confidence to step into a global healthcare role. Today, her earnings support her family’s education and inspire her community to rethink traditional gender roles. Today, her father is a hero in her village. Read Laxmi’s full inspiring journey here. Stories like hers underscore TERN’s mission to uplift women from underserved regions, equipping them to redefine their futures.

Further examples include Elizabeth Francis from Kochi, now in Fulda, Doris Davison from Thiruvananthapuram, now in Frankfurt, and Nayana Nandan from Cochin, now in Berlin, who, with TERN’s end-to-end guidance and mentorship, developed the resilience and expertise to excel in high-pressure environments, paving the way for leadership roles. These success stories underscore TERN’s mission to uplift women from underserved regions, equipping them to redefine their futures and transform entire communities.

Internal Link: Learn more about how TERN empowers women like Laxmi with this step-by-step guide of how to become a nurse in Germany, and the full end-to-end experience as a Nurse with TERN. 

TERN’s Vision for Gender Equity

Empowering women in healthcare is not just about individual success—it’s about challenging systems, reshaping narratives, and creating equitable pathways that benefit the entire sector. At its core, TERN’s vision for gender equity is built on the belief that inclusive healthcare systems are stronger, more resilient, and more just.

While TERN’s support begins with the individual—mentorship, skill development, and placement—it doesn’t end there. TERN is deeply committed to long-term, systemic change. This means addressing structural inequities that have historically excluded women from decision-making roles, especially in the global healthcare workforce where they form the backbone but rarely the leadership.

TERN’s objectives are clear and actionable:

• Bridge the global healthcare workforce gap through ethical, skill-aligned international placements.
• Promote policies that drive diversity and inclusion, especially for women from marginalised or underrepresented communities.
• Equip women with the tools, confidence, and adaptability needed to thrive in high-demand, multicultural healthcare environments.

This vision is realised not in isolation, but through strategic partnerships and large-scale initiatives that carry tangible impact.

TERN’s Innovative Initiatives

TERN’s programs accelerate gender equity and global mobility, ensuring women are not just placed but prepared to lead.

TERN Talent Tour: Germany

The TERN Talent Tour brings over 100 qualified nurses to Germany for direct hospital placements. Fully sponsored by TERN, candidates receive support for visas, licensing, accommodation, and cultural integration. This initiative bypasses recruitment bottlenecks, ensuring transparency and quality while empowering women to succeed in advanced healthcare systems. Read more about TERN’s Talent Tour here. 

TERN Talent Match: India

In the TERN Talent Match, German healthcare clients are flown to India to recruit skilled nurses. This program fosters ethical hiring, streamlines the process, and brings opportunities directly to candidates. By prioritising transparency and candidate empowerment, TERN ensures women are valued and prepared for global roles. 

Mission 2025

Partnering with India’s National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), TERN’s Mission 2025 aims to place 7,000 Indian nurses in global healthcare roles. Participants receive intensive language training, cultural orientation, skills assessments, and ethical recruitment aligned with international standards. This initiative prepares women to thrive in complex healthcare systems, fostering leadership and impact.

AI-Driven Recruitment

TERN leverages AI-driven platforms to match candidates with roles based on skills, backgrounds, and goals. This reduces bias, improves efficiency, and ensures women from diverse backgrounds are not overlooked, expanding access to global nursing careers. 

Read more about how TERN is using AI to revolutionise healthcare here.

For comprehensive guides on the complete user experience of TERN’s client and candidate platform, click here.

Conclusion: A Movement for Change

Empowering women in healthcare is not just a goal but a necessity for advancing global health systems. TERN’s women-led team, comprehensive support, and innovative initiatives are breaking barriers and creating equitable pathways for female nurses and caregivers. From mentorship to global placements, we’re transforming careers, uplifting communities, and reshaping healthcare to be more inclusive and effective. Join TERN’s movement to take control of your future, lead with confidence, and contribute to a more equitable world. Your journey to a thriving global nursing career starts here.

CTA: Don’t wait—Join our movement today! Connect with us on WhatsApp for personalised guidance, sign up on our platform to explore global opportunities at tern.org/signup, or fill out our form to start your journey!

‍