Contact EURACT

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(32) 16 33 74 64

FAX
(32) 16 33 74 80

GERMANY

Basic Medical Education

The new federal regulations (Approbationsordnung, ÄAppO) for BME, effective for all medical faculties since October 1^st, 2003, have led to many changes in the curricula of all German medical schools. General practice has found its role in integrated teaching in epidemiology, health economics, ethics, prevention, geriatrics, complementary medicine and other subjects. The new possibility to choose general practice as an elective of four months in the 'practical year', the 6^th year, needs special criteria for teachers and teaching practices. Members of Departments of General Practice in Duesseldorf, Goettingen, Hamburg and Ulm work together in a task force and have started to accept students for electives. The subgroup 'Medical Schools' (Chair: Erika Baum, Marburg) of The German Society of General Practice and Family Medicine (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Allgemeinmedizin und Familienmedizin (DEGAM)) (the scientific society) is presently preparing an overview of the new position general practice has received in medical schools; I will present it in my next report.

e-learning slowly becomes more popular in general practice teaching in Germany. A symposium in Frankfurt on July 8-9, 2005, will explore possibilities e-learning offers (details: gensichen@allgemeinmedizin.uni-frankfurt.de).

Vocational Training

The new VT as outlined in my Autumn 2003 report has not been put in operation. As VT legislation is federal legislation, the new regulations need further approval and adoption in the Federal Chambers of Physicians and in Federal Governments. This process was stopped by the European Community due to complicated legal inconsistencies. We now hope to see the new VT around 2007.

CME/CPD

The new health legislation ('GKV-Modernisierungs-Gesetz', GMG) effective since January 1, 2004, sees mandatory and regular CME with credits controlled by the Federal Chambers as a practicable way of organising recertification (§95d SGB V). Failure of individual doctors to attend and to collect 250 credit points in 5 years will lead to a fine and finally to withdrawal of the licence. The new regulations received approval and adoption in most Federal Chambers of Physicians so far. As collecting credit points for a five year period officially started on July 1, 2004, we will see only slow changes in CME and CPD over the next years.

What have I done as a council member for EURACT in Germany?

German members of EURACT play a pivotal role in all outlined activities and hold key positions in societies and task forces as well as in political working groups. At least twice a year members get a report of EURACT activities and new documents; via e-mail they are immediately informed about new developments.