First class to complete their medical degrees at Medizincampus Oberfranken.
They are motivated, have received an outstanding education, and are now on the cusp of starting a career: 23 young men and women have just completed their medical degree from FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg at Medizincampus Oberfranken (MCO) in Bayreuth. They started in winter semester 2019/20 in Erlangen. After completing the pre-clinical stage of their training, the students changed to Bayreuth in summer semester 2022 for their clinical training. What makes this special: These are the first graduates of this pioneering collaborative project led by the Faculty of Medicine at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) together with Klinikum Bayreuth, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, the health service in the Upper Franconian region and the University of Bayreuth.
“I am very pleased that we managed to implement this ambitious project of the Bavarian state government so successfully, as demonstrated by this first outstanding class of graduates,” says Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Jürgen Schüttler, professor at the Faculty of Medicine at FAU and the University’s representative for Medizincampus Oberfranken. He was the mastermind behind the MCO and will now continue to collaborate with all partners to advance its strategic development. “It was very important for the Faculty of Medicine at FAU to work closely with Klinikum Bayreuth and ensure that outstanding scientists were appointed to the professorships in Bayreuth, who are also committed to ensuring excellent medical care at Klinikum Bayreuth in their position as heads of department at the hospital. This is the only way to ensure that the students benefit from excellent medical training.”
Through the project, the Bavarian state government aimed to distribute medical training more widely to encourage young doctors to practice not only in metropolitan areas but also to ensure access to healthcare in smaller towns The plan has been successful: Of the 15 young women and eight young men, some already have plans to make a career in the region.
One of them is Sebastian Schramm. He is due to commence further medical training in Kulmbach in Upper Franconia in March: “Studying at MCO was challenging, but an amazing experience. It was great to have the opportunity to complete high-quality medical training near to home.”
Sabrina Kennemann is also grateful for her time spent studying at MCO: “For me, MCO involved studying in a friendly atmosphere with a lot of scope for shaping our studies to suit our needs. Even if we don’t have any lectures there anymore, we can still go to the campus and see familiar faces, who are also pleased to see us again.”
Even those graduates who have not (yet) decided to continue their education in Upper Franconia, such as Regine Hofer or Jennifer Schmidmer, are extremely happy with their studies at MCO:
“Ever since we moved to Bayreuth, we have enjoyed a lively exchange between all those responsible for MCO and us as students,” says Regine Hofer. “Hurdles we encountered at the beginning could be overcome and our degree was tailored to meet students’ needs. For this reason, MCO is an example not only of a successful collaboration, but also of students taking on responsibility for their own learning.”
Jennifer Schmidmer also believes that her time spent studying at MCO has taught her a lot for life: “I am very grateful to have been part of the first class at the MCO. Its small size contributed to a particularly personal and friendly atmosphere, and the professors were extremely committed. In spite of the difficult and demanding examinations, I still look back fondly on the time I spent studying in Bayreuth, which shaped my perspective and gave me valuable friendships for life.”
One of the examiners for the first class of graduates was Prof. Dr. Hans Jürgen Heppner, director of the Department of Geriatrics at Klinikum Bayreuth and speaker of the Management Committee of the Institute of Research and Teaching at Medizincampus Oberfranken. “I am extremely pleased that the State Examinations went so well in Bayreuth and that we have become closer to achieving our objective of gaining doctors for the region.”
The young medics received their State Examination certificates from Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Jürgen Schüttler and Prof. Dr. Tilmann Volk, dean of studies at the Faculty of Medicine at FAU, during a graduation ceremony at the weekend.
A total of 780 doctors in training are now enrolled on the degree program Medicine Erlangen/Bayreuth.
Contact:
Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h.c. Jürgen Schüttler
Representative of Medizincampus Oberfranken
juergen.schuettler@fau.de