Foreign doctors in Germany: How to begin a medical residency

Table of contents

• Introduction – Foreign doctors in Germany

Welcome to our community, “Facharzt JETZT!” (🇺🇸 specialist now). 🙂 We learn together and help each other. In this article, we collected links to the most important articles on our website for foreign doctors in Germany wanting to work or study there.

To help foreign doctors in Germany, we wrote many articles, and we listed the most essential article here in different categories. In each category, there are multiple articles.

Some of the article links will take you to the main Facebook group of Facharzt JETZT. Please post any comments/questions in each article’s Facebook post.

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If you have any doubts or need more clarification, feel free to ask any time in the main group of Facharzt JETZT on Facebook and Telegram (all Telegram groups will be added as a folder). This article is a guide to enhance your understanding of the topic; however, it should not be your sole resource. Always consult official websites for the most accurate and up-to-date information (you can read our full disclaimer here).

^{Foreign doctors in Germany – Destination is to Deutschland}

• Thinking about coming to Germany?

• Comparisons:

– Germany vs USA

• Available options after finishing the residency in Germany:

– Can doctors after a German medical ressdiency work in the UK? Yes. GMC registration after getting a German Board

– Recognition of the German board: In which countries?

• Other possible jobs for doctors:

– Jobs other than in hospitals and clinics for doctors in Germany

• Financial costs:

– Costs of medical specialization in Germany

• Are there still enough jobs for doctors in Germany?

– Rumour: Germany has no jobs for doctors any longer

• You decided to come to Germany?

• Common terms explained:

– Important and common terms related to working as a doctor in Germany

– Approbation vs Berufserlaubnis

• The steps for medical specialization in Germany for foreign doctors:

The third state exam ( Das M3 = das M3-Examendas = Das Dritte Staatsexamen des Medizinstudiums = Dritter Abschnitt der Ärztlichen Prüfung)

• Information for certain nationalities

– Approbation for foreign medical graduates from China, Georgia, the Philippines, and Ukraine

– For Jordanian & Mexican doctors: “Specialized!” program

– Ukrainian medical graduates without an internship year: Possible solutions

• Importance of the internship year:

– The internship year (das Praktische Jahr – PJ) is a must to be able to work in Germany

– Ukrainian medical graduates without an internship year

• Closed bank account:

– Blocked or closed bank account (das Sperrkonto)

– Banks for closed bank accounts and steps to register in them

• The Medical Language Exam (Fachsprachenprüfung – FSP):

• Medical knowledge exam (die Kenntnisprüfung – KP):

• After getting the job:

– Steps to do after being accepted in a job

• Information about certain medical specialties

– Doing Psychiatry Residency in Germany: Hands-on Experience

– Specializing in Oral and maxillofacial surgery (Mund-Kiefer-Gesichtschirurgie – MKG)

– Interventional cardiology training in Germany (die interventionelle Kardiologie)

• Official and life issues:

– Residence registration ( die Anmeldung)

• Apps:

– Call landline and phone numbers worldwide with a low cost

– TeleClinic – Get online a sick leave for free ( eine Krankschreibung)

Want to learn more? Questions?
Join JETZT (🇺🇸 now) all of our groups & ask what you like
(On a mobile phone: The links are at the end of this page/ On PC: On the right side)

• Introduction – Foreign doctors in Germany

• Thinking about coming to Germany?

• Comparisons:

– Germany vs USA

– Germany vs UK vs Canada vs Australia

– How much money do doctors earn in Germany?

– The countries of the European Union (EU) or of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA)

– Durations of the residency programs in Germany (die Dauer der Facharztausbildung)

– Is there a maximal age, to which a doctor may work in Germany? No

– Gaps in CV of doctors in Germany: Big problem? No!

– Improving CV before and after coming to Germany

– Even before coming to Germany, how to make connections with doctors in Germany?

– Networking! Networking! Networking! Make connections now!

– Make connections by joining our most active Telegram groups!

– Is it better to wait in my home country and gather clinical experience before coming to Germany?

• Available specialties:

– Which medical specialties are the easiest or hardest to get in Germany?

– How to get almost any medical specialty in Germany

– Improving CV before and after coming to Germany

• Available options after finishing the residency in Germany:

– Can doctors after a German medical ressdiency work in the UK? Yes. GMC registration after getting a German Board

– Recognition of the German board: In which countries?

• Work-life balance:

– Doctors in Germany: Work-life balance

– Specialties without night shifts for doctors in Germany

– Which medical specialties in Germany are not physically demanding/are least physically stressful?

– 24/7 Guardians: Unveiling the working times of doctors in German hospitals

• The academic route:

– For physicians: Doing a Master’s or PhD degree in Germany

– As a foreign doctor in Germany: How to become a professor?

– Scholarships in Germany through the DAAD and KAAD

• Other possible jobs for doctors:

– Jobs other than in hospitals and clinics for doctors in Germany

• Financial costs:

– Costs of medical specialization in Germany

• Are there still enough jobs for doctors in Germany?

– Rumour: Germany has no jobs for doctors any longer

• You decided to come to Germany?

• Common terms explained:

– Important and common terms related to working as a doctor in Germany

– Approbation vs Berufserlaubnis

• The steps for medical specialization in Germany for foreign doctors:

– The 10 steps to start a medical residency in Germany (2024)

– Medical residency in Germany for EU/EFTA citizens or graduates

– Stages to study medicine in Germany

• Information for certain nationalities

• Approbation:

– Where to apply for approbation: Advantages & disadvantages of each German state

– Moving your application for Approbation from one medical license authority to another

– How long does it take to get the Approbation?

– Direct links to forms & documents to apply for Approbation

– The 16 medical license authorities (die Approbationsbehörden)

– Proof of intention to apply for the Approbation

– Standortvermerk (the location note)

– UK medical graduates after Brexit: Treatment like non EU/EFTA graduates

– Exams needed to get the Approbation as a doctor in Germany

– Experiences with recognition of medical studies (die Gleichwertigkiet): According to country of study

• Documents:

– Required documents to apply for the Approbation

– Translation of documents for foreign doctors

– Find officially recognized translators in Germany

– What is authentication (die Beglaubigung) & where to do it?

– Curricumulm vs Syllabus: What are the differences?

– Free template for CV in German

– Importance of work certificates (Arbeitszeugnisse)

– Immunization against measles (die Masern)

• Importance of the internship year:

– The internship year (das Praktische Jahr – PJ) is a must to be able to work in Germany

– Ukrainian medical graduates without an internship year

• Learning German:

– How to learn German? For foreign doctors going to Germany

– 10 months from zero to B2 in German (I studied outside Germany)

– Tips on how to learn German for doctors & medical specialties

– For doctors: How long does it take to learn the German language?

– Why is learning German easy and why it is hard

– Enjoy learning German: Through songs

– A placement test ( der Einstufungstest) for the German langauge for free

– Sources to learn German for foreign doctors going to Germany

– Wanderung ( hiking): For free learn German, improve your health and make new friends

– Die Volkshochschule (VHS): The cheapest language school in Germany

– Even before coming to Germany, how to make connections with doctors in Germa ny?