Sought after: good doctors

Germany has one of the best healthcare systems in the world. A tightly woven net-work of hospitals and medical practices ensures that patients rapidly receive the treatment they require. The use of the very latest therapies and medical equipment helps guarantee an exceptionally high level of care. At the same time, doctors are held in great esteem by the German population. In surveys, the medical profession is consistently one of the most highly regarded in Germany, followed in second place by the nursing profession.

Career opportunities for doctors in Germany

In Germany, doctors work

in hospitals, generally as an employee
in their own medical practice
in large group practices, as an employee

In Germany, the average starting salary for medical graduates is higher than in any other field of study and currently lies at around €49,000 a year. On average, doctors in Germany are paid more than graduates of any other academic discipline.

German hospitals have had to contend with a shortage of doctors for quite a number of years now. There is a need throughout Germany for several thousand additional doctors. This demand will continue to rise in coming years, particularly as many hospital doctors are soon due to enter retirement.

In the field of private practice, there is primarily a need for general practitioners, particularly in eastern Germany and rural areas, where there are often difficulties recruiting doctors to fill practices as they become vacant. These shortages will soon spread to other regions of Germany and other areas of specialization, since here, too, many doctors are due to retire in coming years.

Foreign medical training

As of April 2012, if you have completed your medical training in a foreign country, you are eligible to receive a medical license in Germany, regardless of whether you are from an EU or a non-EU (third) country – provided that the training is equivalent to the German medical training. Further details are available at www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de (English).