• What is an internship year?
It is one year of training that doctors need to do after finishing medical school (Regardless if the medical studies last 5 or 6 years). In some countries of the world, like Germany itself, there is an exam at the end of it and after passing it, you get a permanent medical license. In other countries, like Ukraine, there is no internship year (Full details about that in Ukraine are here).
In anotehr article, we explained the stages of studying medicine and doing a specialization in Germany: Link
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. 😊
• What is the German translation for the internship year?
🇩🇪 Das Praktische Jahr (PJ). A male doctor who is currently doing this year is called in German: “🇩🇪 der PJ-ler” and a female doctor is called: “🇩🇪 die PJ-lerin”.
• The internship year is a MUST
In Germany, can a doctor who graduates from any country in the world (including from Germany itself) work without having done an internship year?
No!
One million percent, there is no discussion about this subject. 🥲
So, finishing the internship year is one of the most important steps to start a medical residency in Germany. Moreover, the document about having finished an internship is one of the critical documents to be able to apply for a German permanent medical license (🇩🇪 Approbation).
• What if finished medical school only in five years?
In some countries of the world lasts medical school (bachelor’s degree) for five years, do I need then to do an internship year then for longer than 1 year?
No! The internship year is always for a year, regardless of whether you studied medicine for five or six years. To be a doctor in Germany, you study at a university for five years.
• Are there certain subjects or rotations to do in the internship year?
Many say you need to have done at least three months of training in internal medicine and three months of training in general surgery. Some did only two months and it was accepted. This depends on the approbation authority (in total 16 authorities, list here).
• What is the minimum duration of the internship year?
At least 12 months. More than that is not a problem.
• Do I need a logbook of the internship year?
No. See below an example of a real certificate of the internship year (only one page).
• What should the document about the internship year contain?
Your name like in passport and university certificate (all should have the same spelling)
Date of birth
Start and end of the internship year (exact day and month, duration at least 1 year)
Rotations in which specialties (see the question above) (when were the rotations)
The required stamps and legalization (see the table about the documents, to about the internship year)
See a real example in the next section.
– Real example of a document about completion of the internship year (it was accepted in Nordrhein-Westfalen)
Click here to see it
Notes:
• The doctor did only two months of internal medicine and surgery and he said that it was accepted from him. In other words, he was not asked why they were not 4 months.
• The exact dates of the rotations are not written. However, probably it is better if you write them. Germans likes dexterity! For example, “Internal medicine: Three months – 01.07.2022-30.09.2022”
• Can I do my whole internship year in Germany?
Certainly no. You can do it in Germany if you only studied in it or are a German national. Even if you are a German national, graduates from certain countries (Ukraine, Georgia, the Philippines, China) must have done the internship year in their countries of graduation. More details here: “Approbation for foreign medical graduates from China, Georgia, the Philippines, and Ukraine“.
• Can I do a part of my internship year in Germany?
Yes, but only if your home country recognizes that. Maybe one or two months are recognized. But all in all, we know no one who did that in Germany. It costs a lot and needs a lot of applications. In addition, you need to speak good German to profit from that. We suggest that you concentrate on learning German and improving CV. Read this article: “Improve CV as a foreign doctor: Before and after coming to Germany“.
• What are the two countries worldwide to do the internship year? 🤔
Other for foreign graduates from China, Georgia, the Philippines, and Ukraine, there are only two countries:
One: In the country, in which you studied medicine, whether your home country or another country.
Two: In your home country, regardless of whether you studied medicine there or not.
Example
Example: If you were an Indian doctor who studied medicine in the Ukraine, for you to obtain a medical license in Germany (
eine Approbation or eine Berufserlaubnis [article about the differences between them]), you must have finished an internship year in the Ukraine or in India.
• Not being able to do the internship year before coming to Germany
• What if I cannot do the internship year in my home country (for example, because of war) and also I cannot do the internship year in the country where I studied medicine (e.g., in Ukraine because of the war too). Where can I do the internship year?
Again, and to be sure, the best and easiest solution, without dispute, is that you do your internship year in the two countries mentioned above. So, try your best to find a safe place there.
For Ukrainian graduates, we wrote a separate article:
🇺🇦 Ukrainian medical graduates without an internship year: Possible solutions
• If this is not possible, the internship year could be done in Germany, however…
(1) There are no specific laws yet on the subject. There are 16 German states and therefore 16 German medical license authorities (🇩🇪 die Approbationsbehörden) und each one has its own laws and requirements (list of the 16 authorities).
(2) The doctor has to apply to many hospitals after which he may be required to change his place of residence
(3) The most important negative point 😱😱😱: The issue is that he may be asked in this case, like graduates of medical schools in Germany, to take an exam at the end of the internship year, which is certainly not a simple exam 🥲
In total, we do not know of any doctor who did his internship year in Germany! It seems to be impossible. Do you know of any exceptions?
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