• Foreigners are not at a disadvantage
Many (foreign) doctors want to know their chances of getting particular specialties in Germany. To begin with, foreign doctors can in most cases get any specialty they like in Germany. Unlike in the USA, Canada or Australia, many foreign doctors can get specialties like neurosurgery, spinal surgery, dermatology and ophthalmology. In the following table, we explained which specialties are hard or what are easy to get:
| Hard to get specialties | Rather hard | Rather easy | Easy to get specialties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dermatology Ophthalmology ENT (Ear-Nose-Throat) Plastic surgery | Neurosurgery Urology Radiology Thoracic surgery | Internal medicine (including Cardiology & other subspecialties) General surgery Visceral surgery Neurology | Psychiatry Rehabilitation |
For more comparisons between working as a medical doctor in Germany and other developed country, you can read this detailed article:
• When are the medical specialties hard to get?
Generally speaking, the specialties are hard to get if:
• You can earn a lot of money later as a specialist
You can read the exact numbers in Euros in the following article:
• There are few residency places for that specialty
I think, this is the important factor. For example, in one hospital with 1000 beds, you will have like about 50 residents of internal medicine, 30 residents of surgery, 20 residents of orthopedics (
die Unfallchirurgie), 18 residents of neurology, but only 5 residents of dermatology or ophthalmology.
• Popular vs unpopular specialties
Some like to be neurosurgeons or heart surgeons so that they can brag about that. On the other hand, some doctors are ashamed to become for example psychiatrists because of the stigma associated with this specialty in some countries of the world (Ask me! I had to go through this because as I came to Germany, I began a psychiatry residency. The stigma was of course in my home country. In Germany there is a very little stigma).
• If the specialty is hard to get, does this mean that I will never be able to get it?
No! If you improved your CV, you can get almost any specialty. But please ask yourself first, if it is really worth to remain 8 or 10 years a resident doctor. In Germany, many started to think differently about their “dream” specialty. After a few years here, many start to think in terms of “work-life Balance” and want to spend more time with their partners, and families and doing their hobbies.
If you have the slightest doubt about a certain point or do not understand any information, ask at any time in the main group of our community “Facharzt JETZT” on Facebook and Telegram (groups will appear as a folder). We remind you that this article is a guidance article to help you understand things and you should not rely solely on it. You should always return to the official websites. 😊
In the following article, we explained how to increase your chances of getting your dream specialty:
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