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📖 Table of contents
This blog post was written by our medical student in Bratislava, Isabella Raber.
Passing the state examination and finally finishing medical school - that's what all medical students dream of. Wearing white coats, you walk through the long corridors of the hospital, slightly nervous but happy, breathe in the smell of disinfectant and filter out the soft beeping of equipment from the background noise. But which ward do you choose and what happens after medical school? This decision is not easy for everyone, as it determines a large part of one's future as a doctor. What does help, however, is to find out in advance about the various training programmes to become a junior doctor and how long each lasts, as there is a wide range of options.
Internal medicine
One of the most popular directions for specialists is internal medicine. This is not surprising, as internal medicine is an exciting and broad specialty, with options to work in a hospital or as a general practitioner. In order to be able to call oneself a specialist in internal medicine, one must complete 5 years of further training. At least 30 months should be spent as an inpatient, 6 months in the emergency room and a further 6 months in the intensive care unit. Fundamental contents of the training are, for example, the teaching of anamnesis (examinations and conducting conversations with patients) and the knowledge of the internal organs, as well as diseases that are connected to them. As internal medicine is a broad field of medicine, a specialisation can be chosen, for example cardiology, pneumology, gastroenterology or nephrology. Finally, at the end of the year-long training, there is an oral examination that concludes the training to become a specialist and is assessed as "passed" or "failed".
General medicine
General medicine is also at the top of the list of the most popular medical specialties, as it offers an optimal opportunity to work in a practice as well as in a hospital or in a company. There are currently over 55,000 general practitioners in Germany (as of 2021, source: statistical information from the Federal Register of Physicians, KBV). General medicine is mainly concerned with the physical and mental care of patients of all ages, including prevention and rehabilitation. It is the first point of contact for patients with general health problems. Here, too, the training lasts 60 months, of which 24 months must be completed in a general practitioner's office and another 12 months in an internal medicine ward. In addition, there are at least 6 months (maximum 18 months) which can be spent in a ward of choice, but which must provide direct patient:ing care, such as surgery. Last but not least, there is the compulsory course in basic psychosomatic care, which is completed in 80 hours.
Psychiatry and psychotherapy
A somewhat different specialisation is offered by the specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy, who primarily deals with the prevention and treatment of mental illnesses. The psychiatrist focuses on the human mind, but also tries to establish links with the body. 24 months of training are completed in a psychiatric and psychotherapeutic ward, while 12 months must be spent in neurology. A further 12 months can be spent in child and adolescent psychiatry and psychotherapy, general medicine, neurosurgery or internal medicine, for example, in order to acquire skills. Up to 24 months can be spent in the outpatient sector. A few essential contents of the training are psychiatric anamnesis and diagnosis, general and special psychopathology and the practical application of scientifically recognised psychotherapy procedures and methods.
Paediatrics
Another popular direction to become a specialist is the so-called paediatrics, or paediatric and adolescent medicine. It also lasts 60 months, i.e. 5 years, of which 6 months must be spent in the intensive care unit for children and adolescents. During the training, various diagnostics and therapies are taught, the development of the child is gone through, healthy nutrition and prevention of obesity and nutritional disorders are dealt with. In addition, many other relevant contents, such as the diseases of the different systems in the body, for example the disease of the cardiovascular system. It is also possible to specialise in paediatrics and adolescent medicine and to add this to your training as a two-year further training course. Some of the specialisations are neonatology, which deals with newborns and their diseases. Other specialisations are represented by paediatric cardiology, neuropaediatrics and paediatric haematology and oncology.
The agony of choice
In medicine, there is a great variety of training to become a medical specialist, each with its own attractions and special features. For some, preventive medicine is of greater interest, for others the acute treatment of diseases. Some aspire to a career in hospitals, others have the goal of opening their own practice, and another part is dedicated to research and the desire to further advance methods in medicine. Whichever path you choose, you can be sure that an exciting professional field with many new experiences and insights awaits you.
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