Speciality training in Germany

[sessus]

Hey,

I am on the way to finish my medical degree in Australia and am thinking of continuing my qualification as a doctor in Germany or potentially a different EU state. So here me question:
With an overseas medical degree, what would be the requirements for me to get into a specialty training program in Germany such as surgery or orthopaedics?

Thanks in advance,
Dan

[Tombow]

There are no specific requirements besides getting your degree acknowledged and obtaining a permit to practice as a doctor. You need a certified and legalized translation of your degree along with a proof of sufficient command of the german language. As a non-EU-citizen you might also be not eligible for the "full" medical certificate ("Approbation") but only for the restricted one ("Berufserlaubnis"). The latter basically allows you to practice medicine, but is restricted to a particular employment (ie it is valid only for an occupation at a certain clinic). In order to apply for a Berufserlaubnis you will also need a signed contract with the clinic in question.

Where to ask questions and where to apply for the afformentioned papers differs from province to province. For example, in North Rhine-Westphalia Province it is the responsibility of the regional administrations ("Bezirksregierungen") while in Hesse, Lower Saxony, Bavaria and Rhineland-Palatinate it falls under the responsibility of the Provincial Examination Authority ("Landesprüfungsamt"). Which additional documents are needed might also vary.

If you do not intend on staying beyond 3 Months you can bypass all the above formalities with signing a contract as a Guest doctor ("Gastarzt"), however this is limited to 3 Months and you don't get paid for wath you do, so this way might be not of interest to you.

Last but not least - there are not established specialty training programs. Basically you start as an "Assistenzarzt" (literally "assistant doctor", which is something like a junior resident) and gain your mileage from learning by doing. The requirements for applying/being eligible for a specialty exam (ie number and kind of operations, skills in functional diagnostics and so on) are outlined by the appropriate medical bars ("Ärztekammer"), but how do you get so far depends on your place of work and the way it is run. Beyond that, everything is possible - from being in the OP from day one to being just relegated to running the ward while the seniors are spending their days in the OP.