Practical year (PJ) and clinical elective

A list of hospitals that offer places for the practical year is available, for example, from  The Electives Network (TEN)  or the  website of the State Examination Office in Düsseldorf. If the hospital where you wish to take your practical year is not in the above list, further details and information about the forms required is available from the Examinations Office responsible.

Austria

Students can complete their practical year in Austria at the Medical University of Vienna and the Medical University of Innsbruck.

Since these hospitals have not yet been included without restrictions on the list of the State Examination Office in Düsseldorf, additional documents must be submitted for accreditation to the Examinations Office of the Faculty of Medicine. Further information is available from the relevant contact persons.

It is still not possible to take the practical year at the Medical University of Graz.

Rigshospitalet Copenhagen University Hospital

No students from abroad are accepted between February and June and between September and January. In the eight-week period in between (July and August), only one applicant is accepted (as of July 2014).

• Applicants should first apply (as early as possible) directly to the relevant hospital abroad as an application for scholarships and other funding programs is only possible afterwards.
• Please contact the  Dean of Studies of the Faculty of Medicine for special documents or certificates.
• The FAU Language Centre has information about providing proof of language skills.
• Medical examinations and vaccinations are available from the Occupational Medical Service at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen.
• Before departing for your stay abroad, you must ensure that you have sufficient insurance cover abroad. This includes health insurance, professional liability insurance, and supplementary insurance, if applicable. Examples of insurance packages: Hartmannbund, Marburger Bund
• Where possible, responsibility for signing the certificate of equivalence should be clarified before students start their stay.

There is the option of spending all three rotations abroad. The time schedule for the division of trimesters in the practical year is available from the Dean of Studies of the Faculty of Medicine.

• Splitting is only permitted for the duration of a rotation and is intended for periods spent abroad, not in the home country.
• The requirement for the one-off split is that the two eight-week parts of the rotation are not shortened further by vacation or absences, as eight weeks are considered the absolute minimum for meaningful, continuous training.

• Up to 30 days’ absence are possible, see Section 3 (3)ÄAppO (German Medical Licensing Regulations for Physicians): “Absences of up to a total of 30 training days shall be credited to the training […], of which up to a total of 20 training days may be within a single training period.”
• Exception: If a rotation is split into two 8-week sections, no days of absence are permitted for this rotation. Information is available in a guide published by the Government of Upper Bavaria, available on the website of the Dean of Studies of the Faculty of Medicine.

• In general, Section 7 (2) ÄAppO (German Medical Licensing Regulations for Physicians) applies: “The clinical elective shall be completed
  1. for a period of one month in an outpatient medical care facility under medical supervision or a suitable medical practice,
  2. for a period of one month in a hospital or inpatient rehabilitation facility,
  3. for a period of one month in a primary care facility, and
  4. for a period of one month in a facility mentioned in numbers 1 to 3 or another suitable facility, including a public health facility, in which medical tasks are performed.”
• Pursuant to Section 7 (3)  ÄAppO , clinical electives completed abroad in an outpatient medical care facility (1.) or at a hospital (2.) can be accredited. In Bavaria, a clinical elective completed in Austria at a primary care facility can be accredited provided that the doctors have comparable specialisms. See the  additional sheet published by the Government of Upper Bavaria on the website of the Dean of Studies of the Faculty of Medicine.
• Forms are available on the website of the website of the  Dean of Studies of the Faculty of Medicine.

• Experience reports overseas and Europe (Erasmus)
• EU community: database
• Experience reports for medicine worldwide
• Ranking for practical year: Practical year reports worldwide
• Marburger Bund – section for members only, registration and activation necessary

Information on funding options for stays abroad is available on the  website for external scholarships for internships.

The “Allianz Ärztefinanzzentrum Berlin” also provides funding for stays abroad for medical students.