German Medical Scools

[mayerrr]

Hey guys,

 

I was wondering if anyone has any knowledge or background on German medical schools. As far as I know, you must write the DaF (a language exam) in order to apply. Does anyone know the averages of international students (on 4.0 SCALE?), do you need MCAT?, what is the process like?

 

Also, I have dual citizenship (German/Canadian), so I am wondering if that will work to my advantage somehow.

 

Thanks

[papaya100]

HI

I am living in Germany right now and did gradwork here. Considered going to med school in Germany, but due to excessive length (in light of my already extensive schooling) and I also got into a Canadian med school (shorter).. Will thus soon be returning to Canada.

 

German med school is 6 years long. People apply right out of high school, using their "Abitur" grades. For Germans, getting a spot is reasonably competitive (need good grades), but nothing like Canada! If you dont get in our your first try, you are guaranteed a spot to study in the following year or year after, you just need to wait. There is a central admissions centre that decides where you will go to school (you can rank your top 3 schools, but you may not get them, or get offered a place somewhere else).

For people with a non-European high school degree and or university degree, it is somewhat easier. You can directly apply to the university of your choice and in most cases, they will assess your credentials directly. If there is some question, they will send your diplomas etc to a central agency that assesses all non-German degrees (much better organized than Canada).

 

For someone coming from Canada, there should be no problem in getting degrees etc recognized. I applied to the central agency to see if I could shorten the 6 years (because I already have a PhD). They recognized all my courses done at a Canadian university as equivalent to the med school courses. Unfortunately this only led to a shortening to 5.5 years, due to anatomy being taught over multiple semesters. But that is another story!

 

In any case, I think to get in, you will need strong Canadian grades, so 3.7+ for university I think. They will also want your high school transcript, so you should also have good marks in high school. Because it being assessed directly at a university level, the university may stipulate additional requirements, such as volunteering or extracurricular activities. However the emphasis on non-academic qualities is a very new phenomenon in Germany. Really (my impression), all they want to know are your grades, rigour of courses taken and general academic capability. Everything else is extra. There is definitely no MCAT requirement. The terms start in October and March(?), and through the year with a few interspersed breaks (no long summer break like in Canada). You can apply to start studying for either term. USually the deadline to apply for the upcoming term is a few months in advance (not a year like Canada).

 

In terms of how med school works, there are 2 years of vor-klinikum. These years are basic science, like organic chemistry, physiology, anatomy etc. At the end of these 2 years, there is a big exam, Staatsexam I. This covers all basic science and anatomy material. If your grade is acceptable, you pass on to the next 4 years, the clinical section. Then it is pretty similar to Canadian med school, with one exception: you are required to complete a research project (typically 6 months in length, sometimes shorter or longer) and write a thesis over the course of your studies. If you dont complete this project, but still finish the clinical part, you can still practice as a physician. However you will not have the title of "Doctor of medicine". The doctor title in Germany onyl comes from doing research. The last year of study is also similar to Canada, it is the practical year or PJ. I dont think people rotate through as many subspecialities as they do in Canada- I think longer time is spent in internal, surgery and then your own choice. At the end of the 4 years, you write another big exam (covering all clinical aspects) and then should be an "arzt". Many people do 4-6 months of their PJ in a foreign country and this can be in Europe, NA, NZ, Nepal... I know 2 people who spent most of their time in Switerzerland and Italy, another who worked at Texas Heart and Toronto Western, another who went to Nepal...

 

MEd school is in general much less practically oriented than Canadian med school. Most people learn all practical things when they actually start working in a hospital during PJ. Also to note that nurses in Germany generally have less education and less responsibility than in Canada. They arent allowed to give needles, etc. Doctors do all of this...

 

Residency is also quite different. There are no official residency programs. Rather you apply to hospitals who need "assistentarzte". Then you need to collect a certain number of hours doing a certain thing or on a certain station ie ICU. Depending on the speciality, takes 5-6 years. When you have collected all these hours, you can apply to take the speciality exam (oral test). Once you have passed, you are now a "facharzt". If you have German citizenship (or any EU), than it should be no problem to continue working in Germany to do a residency

 

Also to note, it costs WAY less. Depending on where you go to school (depends on province), ranges from 800 euros per semester (2 semesters per year) to 1600. You also have to pay your own health insurance- 150 euros a month for a student.

 

In general, German med system is very good. Nearly no wait times, lots of doctors, good facilities everywhere. It is a mix of private and public. Public system covers everyone who doesnt make over a certain earning threshold. However public means- you also pay. When you have a job, you have to pay health insurance every month (mandatory, comes off paycheck before receiving it). Typically 300 euros or so. The government then pays an equal amount into the system. Basic dental care is also covered. Prescriptions are mostly subsidized. For example, birth control pill list price of 30 euros is reduced to a copay of 5 euros...

Thus in total, German health system is effective but expensive.

Here is a link to one of most prestigious med schools:

 

http://www.medizin.uni-tuebingen.de/Studierende/Humanmedizin/Studieninteressierte.html

 

They also provide information in english.

 

Hope this helps!

[papaya100]

Oh I forgot- yes, you also need a language test such as DaF

[mayerrr]

Oh I forgot- yes, you also need a language test such as DaF

 

Thank you for the reply, it was very helpful. Regarding the DaF exam, how "well" do you need to speak and understand the language in order to pass? This is my greatest concern, as I am a German/Canadian citizen however my speech in German is very limited. I would have to attend German school aside from my studies (shouldn't have dropped out when I was 8 years old...), but I am scared studying in Germany will be very very difficult even if I "pass" the DaF exam.

[papaya100]

I think you r german skills need to be pretty good, but to be honest, I don't know, because I haven't taken the test.to get a better idea of how good youare right now and much you need to improve, I would contact the goethe institute.there is one in toronto (they also administer tests there). You should contact the universities in germany you might be interested in, and ask them what grade they require, and for which test (there are a few different german tests, not just the dav).

I think if you had a few years to improve, and you were exposed to german as a child, you should nt have a problem...

[papaya100]

Also: a website that may be helpful toyou

http://Www.daad.de

German government organization that supports germans who want to study abroad, or foreigners who want to study in germany. They provide short summaries of all german universities, which ones have med

schools etc