Licence to practice medicine in Germany
There are basically two types of licenses issued for doctors to practice medicine in Germany. Berufserlaubnis and Approbation. The procedure for getting these documents is called
"ANERKENNUNG DER BERUFLICHEN QUALIFIKATION". Many of the related questions are answered here.
Berufserlaubnis:
Its the temporary licence issued mostly for 2 years. Currently every state has an exam called Fachsprachprüfung, to be cleared to get Berufserlaubnis. This exam is taken to test only and only language proficiency. One important thing to be kept in mind is that with Berufserlaubnis one can only work in a hospital as a doctor but this time is not counted in the "Weiterbildung" or post graduation. The Fachsprachprüfung can be taken as many times as possible. For some states having a job is a prerequisite to apply for the exam (Nordrhein Westfalen), while some can let you apple without having a job (Bayern). The document and language requirements for different states also varies, which can be found in the above two links. Some documents I've already mentioned elsewhere in this blog.
There are several institutes currently offering preparatory courses for Fachsprachprüfung. As I've neither given this exam nor attended any preparatory course for it I cant recommend any course specifically. I attended one preparatory course for "telc B2-C1 medizin prüfung" in FAW, Köln (details already shared elsewhere) though. Although this exam is no more valid for getting Berufserlaubnis, it should definitely help in preparing for Fachsprachprüfung. Plus telc language certificates are still respectful in Europe, so it will look good on CV and the course can help in getting Type D/National Visa (also been already explained). But I have to admit here that my knowledge in this regard is a bit old and one should also take current and relevant alternatives in mind.
Approbation:
The so called permanent licence is basically the licence to practice medicine every practicing doctor in Germany must have. Once issued its valid life-long and the post graduation officially starts. The exam to be cleared to get Approbation is called Kenntnisprüfung. In this exam along with language, the medical knowledge is also tested. This exam can be taken only 3 times in total. These are some experiences shared by others about their exams. Innere Medizin and Chirurgie are subjects of main focus here. According to several doctors who took this exam, current editions of Fallbuch for both the subjects should suffice for clearing it.
"ANERKENNUNG DER BERUFLICHEN QUALIFIKATION". Many of the related questions are answered here.
Berufserlaubnis:
Its the temporary licence issued mostly for 2 years. Currently every state has an exam called Fachsprachprüfung, to be cleared to get Berufserlaubnis. This exam is taken to test only and only language proficiency. One important thing to be kept in mind is that with Berufserlaubnis one can only work in a hospital as a doctor but this time is not counted in the "Weiterbildung" or post graduation. The Fachsprachprüfung can be taken as many times as possible. For some states having a job is a prerequisite to apply for the exam (Nordrhein Westfalen), while some can let you apple without having a job (Bayern). The document and language requirements for different states also varies, which can be found in the above two links. Some documents I've already mentioned elsewhere in this blog.
There are several institutes currently offering preparatory courses for Fachsprachprüfung. As I've neither given this exam nor attended any preparatory course for it I cant recommend any course specifically. I attended one preparatory course for "telc B2-C1 medizin prüfung" in FAW, Köln (details already shared elsewhere) though. Although this exam is no more valid for getting Berufserlaubnis, it should definitely help in preparing for Fachsprachprüfung. Plus telc language certificates are still respectful in Europe, so it will look good on CV and the course can help in getting Type D/National Visa (also been already explained). But I have to admit here that my knowledge in this regard is a bit old and one should also take current and relevant alternatives in mind.
Approbation:
The so called permanent licence is basically the licence to practice medicine every practicing doctor in Germany must have. Once issued its valid life-long and the post graduation officially starts. The exam to be cleared to get Approbation is called Kenntnisprüfung. In this exam along with language, the medical knowledge is also tested. This exam can be taken only 3 times in total. These are some experiences shared by others about their exams. Innere Medizin and Chirurgie are subjects of main focus here. According to several doctors who took this exam, current editions of Fallbuch for both the subjects should suffice for clearing it.
Hi Shripad,
ReplyDeleteThanks for provinding a lot of information on this subject.
I have a question. What if we are not able to clear the Kenntnisprufung on the third attempt? I dont want such a thing to happen after spending a lot of time , money and efforts on this, but if we are allowed to give the exam only 3 times, then it would be a lot of stress. whats the passing rates in this exams.
Thanks in advance.
Ashish
if you fail the exam in 3rd attempt then you won't get the approbation and could no longer work in germany. I have not heard of anyone personally who failed 3 times but that's the rule. and passing rate is different for different states. usually it's toughest in NRW.
DeleteMedical PG in Germany you have explained the topic nicely.
ReplyDeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteThanks for helping us with your blog.
If you don´t mind, I would like to ask if the Fachsprachprüfung has an "expiration date". I mean, if you apply for the exam and you pass it, how long does it remains valid?
Thank you for your time.
the temporary license exam should be taken up in Germany itself ? I am planning to move to Germany to do my Masters in Dentistry..So should i go there and clear this exam before beginning my Masters ? Can i take up this exam in India or only Germany?
ReplyDeleteThis is good info but can you please elaborate if one is planning to apply from india then which visa to apply for language course and is it easy to get. because what I heard is they do not give language visa they ask for defizitbescheid
ReplyDelete