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Germany

The document discusses the requirements for foreign doctors to work in Germany, including needing B2 German language proficiency and passing the Fachsprachprüfung (FSP) medical language exam. It provides time estimates for achieving different CEFR language levels and recommendations for improving one's CV and language skills, such as consuming German medical content, volunteering, and doing clinical training in the desired specialty. The difficulty of the FSP exam varies by state, with Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, and North Rhine-Westphalia typically having easier exams.

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Tien Dung Nguyen
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52 views3 pages

Germany

The document discusses the requirements for foreign doctors to work in Germany, including needing B2 German language proficiency and passing the Fachsprachprüfung (FSP) medical language exam. It provides time estimates for achieving different CEFR language levels and recommendations for improving one's CV and language skills, such as consuming German medical content, volunteering, and doing clinical training in the desired specialty. The difficulty of the FSP exam varies by state, with Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, and North Rhine-Westphalia typically having easier exams.

Uploaded by

Tien Dung Nguyen
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Germany

1. Language requirement to be a doctor in Germany


→ To work as a doctor in Germany, you must demonstrate B2 level proficiency in general
German. A certificate proving your language skills is required to apply for a licence to
practise.
2. How long does it take to master C1 German for a beginner?
→ For a dedicated beginner learner starting from scratch, reaching a C1 level in German
typically takes several years of consistent study and practice. Language experts often suggest
that it can take around 600-750 hours of study to progress from a beginner level to an
intermediate level (B1 or B2), and then an additional 600-750 hours to reach an advanced
level (C1).

B2 = 750h / 5h a day = 150 days = 5 months


 A1, A2, B1 = 3 months
 B2 = 2 months
C1 = 750h / 5h a day = 150 days = 5 months
→ 10 months to reach German proficiency.

3. Requirements for Approbation:


a. Recognition of qualifications
 Medical graduates from EU countries have their medical degrees
automatically recognized in Germany
b. German language knowledge
 B2/C1 level of CEFR
 A FSP – Fachsprachenprufung – a specialized language exam focusing on
medical terminology. This exam tests the language proficiency in medical
German and comprises 3 parts:
o Doctor-Patient discussions: this checks whether the examinee is able
to conduct anamnesis discussions, inform patients about diagnoses
and treatment options and explain medical issues
o Written report: The candidate summarizes the knowledge gained
from the doctor-patient conversation in a medical report
o Doctor-Doctor discussion: this tests whether the examinee is able to
communicate with colleagues in a profession manner, with
competent use of medical vocabulary.
4. How to improve my CV:
 Fluency in German >B2
 German medical language:
o Try to hear medical podcasts, read medical news in German, watch medical
documentaries, see short YouTube videos related to health and medicine,
follow medical doctors in social networks, etc.
o Make yourself familiar with what is tested in this exam so that you know
what is to learn exactly in German.
o Try reading medical books in German. Many words are similar to English
because they have similar Greek or Latin origins.
 Learn how to draw blood (using butterflies) and how to insert cannulas
 Contacts! This is very important in Germany
 Visit congresses and medical events related to your dream specialty
 Start learning in “German” for your dream specialty
o Please use German books. This will improve your language, and the German
guidelines are different that others in the world. More importantly, by
writing patients discharge letters, you can cite the guidelines.
 Voluntary work

o If you have enough time before coming to Germany, then volunteering (🇩🇪
eine ehrenamtliche Arbeit) in international organizations could be a good
thing too (for example, Doctors without Borders, Red Cross, Operation Smile,
etc.). Through such activities, you might get to meet German doctors, who
could later help you in getting training or a job in Germany. Or, simply, you
could ask them for a recommendation letter (Empfehlungsschreiben).
 Research
o Learning to withdraw blood and place cannulas is more significant than
research! Sorry to say this! But hospitals here search firstly for someone who
can do the work expected from a resident, then comes research!
 Keep up to date about the recent news about working as a doctor in Germany

We recommend following groups in socical networks (see the links to our groups at
the end of this page). Moreover, go to the groups and simply read hundreds of old
posts. This might save you later on a lot of time. For example, some do not know
that they can get tax returns if they keep all of the bills for books, translation, and
tickets for job interviews. Alone if you knew this information before coming to
Germany, you can start collecting these bills as soon as you arrive. For each 1000
Euros you paid, you get like 400 Euros back. Normally, doctors have costs of like 5000
Euros for such things before starting their residency. We are talking now about tax
returns of about 2000 Euros!
 During your vacations, you might make a training (eine Hospitation) in the
department of your dream specialty
 Please note: it would be probably a bad thing when your current hospital knows that
you are now training in your free time in a department for neurosurgery, although
you have been telling them that you want to be a psychiatrist.
 Get good employee reference letters (die Arbeitszeugnisse)
o So, even if you are a psychiatrist and want to be really a neurosurgeon, the
new hospital will be interested to read what has been written in your
reference letters. Moreover, they could simply call your current hospital and
ask about your behavior! Legally, your current employer may not tell them or
write anything bad about you. However, through connections, they might
know that. Moreover, there are secret sentences and phrases, that when
written in your reference letters, those who read them will notice that you
did not do a good job. Compare that with having a reference letter full of
positive sentences about you and your hard work
5. Which medical specialties are the easiest or hardest to get in Germany?

6. FSP:
 The FSP (Fachsprachprüfung) is a certification program that tests one's proficiency in
German language. The extent of difficulty to pass the FSP varies depending on the
state in which you are taking the exam. Generally, it is recommended that you
choose a state with a lower level of difficulty in order to get a "Defizitbescheid" more
easily. The states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, and North Rhine-Westphalia are
known to have relatively easier exams than other states.

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