MEDICAL TRAINING PROGRAM FOR DOCTORS, GERMANY

      MEDICAL TRAINING PROGRAM FOR DOCTORS

Five reasons to study in Germany

High-quality teaching and research

Numbering around 400, German universities offer excellent opportunities for learning and research

Attractive international courses

German universities also offer a large number of Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees and doctorates aimed at international students. Depending on the university and availability, the students can take these courses in English or French, for example

Low fees

Unlike many other countries, no tuition fees are charged for undergraduate degrees at public universities in Germany.

Good career prospects

Studying at a German university could be your first step towards a career in Germany. Because German companies are looking for university graduates in a variety of sectors – especially in the fields of engineering, medicine, the life sciences and information technology.

High quality of life

Life in Germany is very good. If you study here, you will not only find Europe's most dynamic economy. Germany is also a very safe country, with a high standard of living, a rich cultural history and a very diverse population.

The German language

Whether at work, out shopping or dealing with the authorities, if you are going to live in Germany in the long term and want to integrate successfully into society, it is crucial to speak German. There are plenty of opportunities for learning the language – lessons, language tandems or online courses, for example. Here, you can find out who offers courses, how much a course costs and how to improve your language skills outside lessons.

Which occupations are in demand?

In some industries, jobs and regions in Germany, there is a shortage of qualified professionals. More especially, qualified technical workers, such as engineers and IT specialists, as well as health specialists, are in short supply. We show you what your chances are of finding a job in each of the different professional fields.

Germany has one of the best healthcare systems in the world. The use of the very latest therapies and medical equipment helps guarantee an exceptionally high level of care. Increasing digitisation is opening up new possibilities for medical care, as X-ray images and medical reports are available faster. And digitisation is set to grow even faster, lowering costs and bringing continual improvements in healthcare. A dense network of clinics and doctors' surgeries ensures that patients get the medical services they need rapidly. At the same time, doctors are held in great esteem by the German population. In surveys, the medical profession is consistently one of the most highly regarded in Germany, followed in second place by the nursing profession.

Career opportunities for doctors in Germany

In Germany, doctors work

• in hospitals, generally as an employee
• in their own medical practice
• in large group practices, as an employee

In Germany, the average starting salary for medical graduates is higher than in any other field of study and currently lies at around €49,000 a year. On average, doctors in Germany are paid more than graduates of any other academic discipline.

German hospitals have had to contend with a shortage of doctors for quite a number of years now. There is a need throughout Germany for several thousand additional doctors. This demand will continue to rise in coming years, particularly as many hospital doctors are soon due to enter retirement.

In the field of private practice, there is primarily a need for general practitioners, particularly in eastern Germany and rural areas, where there are often difficulties recruiting doctors to fill practices as they become vacant. These shortages will soon spread to other regions of Germany and other areas of specialization, since here, too, many doctors are due to retire in coming years.

Becoming a medical specialist in Germany

Gaining specialisation in a certain area of medicine is an integral part of medical specialist training in Germany. Training programmes can take five to six years and are conducted at university medical centres or other facilities which are authorised to provide specialist training. The regulations are different in each German state. To be eligible, you must have excellent German skills are and have a medical license, the “Approbation”.

Procedure

After successfully completing your studies in Medicine, you may continue studying to gain specialisation in an elective subject. The training programme takes five to six years to complete. There are 30 different areas of medicine in which you can specialise. During the programme you are required to complete a catalogue of fixed tasks. The training programme concludes with the medical specialist examination.
Medical specialist training programmes are not degree programmes and are not offered at German universities. During such a programme, you work as a doctor in full-time employment, e.g. at a doctor's practice, a university clinic or medical centre or other “institution authorised to provide medical treatment”. You are paid as an assistant physician.
German language proficiency is a very important prerequisite, i.e. at least a B2 level as put forth in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. You have to provide proof of your language ability. The B2 level is equivalent to the business language certificate “Deutsch für den Beruf” (ZDfB).
The provisions for medical specialist training are not the same throughout Germany. The certification requirements are different in each state and are determined by 17 “State Medical Boards”. Your medical specialist training programme is subject to the rules of the state in which you live or work. You can find a list of all the State Medical Boards on the German Medical Association website.
You can find openings for assistant physicians (“Assistenzarzt”) here:

• University clinic websites
• German Federal Employment Agency
• Job advertisements in the German Medical Journal (Deutsches Ärzteblatt)

You can find the addresses of doctors, who are certified to train medical specialists, and other accredited medical training facilities on the websites of the State Medical Boards (see the list of State Medical Boards on the German Medical Association website).
You can occasionally obtain detailed information about the admission requirements and language exams from the respective university or university medical centre.

Licensure and recognition of prior academic qualification

If you wish to practice medicine in Germany, you will require a state medical license. This is called the “Certification to Provide Medical Treatment in Germany”, or “Approbation” for short. To obtain such a licence, you must register with the “Oberste Landesgesundheitsbehörde” (Supreme Health Authorities of the German Federal States). You can find a list of addresses of the responsible authorities on the German Medical Association website.

1. If you are a citizen of the EU, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland and completed medical education in the EU, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland:

Your medical education is normally recognised as equivalent to that provided in Germany, and you will receive your medical license (“Approbation”).

2. If you are a citizen of a different country and did not complete your medical education in the EU, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland:

The equivalency of your academic qualification will have to be assessed (knowledge assessment). If the medical board determines that your education is not equivalent to that provided in Germany, you will receive a temporary medical license, valid for a maximum of two years. During this period, you are required to take the equivalency assessment examination. If you pass the exam, you normally receive your German medical license.

More information

• bundesaerztekammer.de | Summary of the responsible positions in granting “Approbation” or work permission (in German only)
• bundesaerztekammer.de | Traineeship and work as medical specialist in Germany (in German only)
• bundesaerztekammer.de | List of all „Landesärztekammern“ (in German only)

Fachsprachenprüfung- FSP(Medical German Language Test) – Telc B2-C1 Medizin exam

General

The Medical Association North Rhine took over the specialist language examination for the district governments Düsseldorf and Cologne on 1 January 2014. The takeover of the specialist language examination for foreign doctors by the Medical Association North Rhine goes back to a decision of the North Rhine-Westphalian government. Previously in North Rhine, officials of the district governments had set the specialist language examination. The test is based on the model of an OSCE examination.

OSCE: An objective structured clinical examination is a modern type of examination often used in health sciences. It is designed to test clinical skill performance and competence in skills such as communication, clinical examination, medical procedures manipulation techniques, radiographic positioning, radiographic image evaluation and interpretation of results. It is a hands-on, real-world approach to learning that keeps examinees engaged, allows them to understand the key factors that drive the medical decision-making process, and challenges the professional to be innovative and reveals their errors in case-handling and provides an open space for improved decision-making, based on evidence-based practice for real-world responsibilities. 

Course of the proceedings

There are no changes to the application process for the license to practice as a doctor. The processing of applications for the issuing of licences remains the task of the competent district government in Düsseldorf or Cologne.

If the competent district government has sufficiently reviewed the application for a license and deems a specialist language examination to be necessary, it sends the Medical Association North Rhine the necessary data.

 District governments in North Rhine

That means that personal registration is not necessary.

After the Medical Association North Rhine has received the data from the respective district government, it usually contacts the applicant by e-mail and requests the applicant to pay the management fee for the specialist examination of currently 300 Euro. After receipt of the fee, the applicant is then allocated the next possible examination date and receives a letter from the Medical Association North Rhine giving the examination date and all the necessary information for the examination. The letter also contains the time at which the applicant is to arrive at the examination centre. The time is to be observed precisely, as late appearance counts as failure of the examination.

The examination centre is the Medical Association North Rhine, Tersteegenstr. 9, 40474 Düsseldorf

Directions

Note: At this point, it is already possible for the applicant to co-determine the prospective examination date. The invitation to the examination is issued when the payment is transferred.

Examination procedure

The specialist language examination should be as practically relevant as possible. All elements are already known from the daily work in the hospital. The examination relates only to the specialist language and not to the basic medical knowledge.

For the specialist language examination, it is not relevant whether a wrong diagnosis is made or an incorrect treatment option is given. Only the language used when dealing with the respective situation is included in the evaluation.

The 60-minute examination is divided into 3 sections of 20 minutes each.

1. Doctor - patient discussion
2. Documentation
3. Doctor - doctor discussion

1. Doctor - patient discussion

The examinee holds an anamnesis interview with a patient. The role of the patient is played by an actor. However, the examinee is to treat him like a normal patient. In this way, the doctor - patient interview can be simulated as it is known from everyday treatment.

This method ensures that each examinee receives an equally difficult case.

The anamnesis interview is carried out exactly as learnt during the degree. After the examinee has formed ​​a picture of the patient, he explains his suspected diagnosis and gives the patient suggestions for further diagnosis and treatment. He should explain to the patient what he considers to be useful measures and respond to questions.

It should be observed that patients are unfamiliar with medical terminology. It is important that the patient can understand the doctor to be tested properly and well.

Muster: BewertungsbogenArzt-Patienten-Gespräch (49,86 KB)  

2. Documentation

In the second section, the examinee is to transfer the anamnesis to an anamnesis sheet. For this, the candidate receives a ready-made form from the Medical Association North Rhine, as is used, in principal, in every hospital in the area of the chamber.

Sample of the anamnesis sheet  (48.28 KB) (The sheet does not need to be brought to the examination)

Muster: BewertungsbogenDokumentation (69,03 KB) 

3. Doctor-doctor discussion

The third section of the examination simulates the situation of a ward round. Here the examinee meets two doctors (for example, a chief physician and a senior physician). The examinee gives the doctors a structured description of the patient seen in section 1.

The discussion partners are doctors, so no layman’s language is to be used, but rather, medical terminology for communication. It is important to clarify the information about the patient in a carefully structured approach. In so doing, the examinee should also explain his own assessment of the situation and his ideas for further treatment.

After the patient presentation, the two doctors will ask some questions on this. The medical colleagues can also submit further documentation on the patient to the examinee for him to evaluate.

Muster: BewertungsbogenArzt-Arzt-Gespräch (58,88 KB)   

Assessment of the examination

Each examinee is assessed by three examiners. The examiners work with structured assessment sheets. After completing the examination, the assessment sheets of the individual examiners are collected and analysed centrally. Each sheet contains a maximum of 20 points. This means that each examinee can attain a maximum of 60 points. To pass the specialist language examination, 60 percent of the maximum number of points, or at least 36 points have to be achieved.

Aids during the examination

At the start of the examination, each examinee is provided with an empty notepad and a pen. The notes are not included in the assessment of the examination. Other aids are not permitted. Also, no luggage, handbags, jackets, coats or the like may be taken into the examination rooms.

In the reception area of the Medical Association North Rhine, a cloakroom and lockers are available (deposit 1 Euro).

During the examination, telephone calls and any contact with uninvolved persons is considered cheating and will lead to failure of the examination.

Pass / fail

The result of the examination is given to the examinee on the day of the examination and the competent district government notified. Further processing takes place there.

The examination is considered passed if the examinee attains at least 60 percent (at least 36 points) of the maximum number of points possible.

The examination is considered failed if the examinee attains less than 60 percent (less than 36 points) of the maximum number of points possible.

In case of failure, the specialist language examination can be repeated several times. The examinee is sent information on re-examination by the Medical Association North Rhine straightaway.

The Medical Association North Rhine recommends that you schedule a few months between the examination dates, to allow time for further language training. For repeat examinations, the examination fee of currently 300 Euros is payable each time.

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