Medical students at the UMMD and UMH receive the current BAföG maximum rate in the practical year
Joint initiative of the medical faculties in Saxony-Anhalt for sustainable improvements in the practical year
University Medicine Magdeburg and University Medicine Halle are raising the allowance for medical students in their practical year (PJ) to the maximum BAföG rate from April 1, 2024. This is currently around 934 euros. The Faculty of Medicine at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg and the Faculty of Medicine at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) are thus supporting the efforts of the Federal Representation of Medical Students in Germany (bvmd) to improve the current conditions in the PJ.
"For me, appropriate compensation for expenses in the final year of medical studies and a practicable solution for learning and examination times is an investment in our young talent and thus in the excellent medical care of tomorrow," says Prof. Dr. Heike Kielstein, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU).
The Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Magdeburg, Prof. Dr. Daniela Dieterich, emphasizes: "The increase in remuneration in the practical year is an important first signal to our students and clearly shows that we take them and their concerns very seriously. However, in order to achieve truly sustainable improvements in the practical year, we are also resolutely committed to appropriate learning and examination times, a differentiation of sick days and absences and uniform national training standards in this crucial stage of studies with the pilot program "PJ Sachsen-Anhalt ist fair"."
"As Minister of Science and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the University Hospitals of Halle (Saale) and Magdeburg, I welcome the decision," explains Prof. Dr. Armin Willingmann, Minister of Science, Energy, Climate Protection and the Environment of the State of Saxony-Anhalt. "The appropriate payment of medical students during their practical year is not only a question of fairness, but also a strategic investment in the future of medical care in our state. The increasing, state-wide standardized support enables the prospective doctors to concentrate on their training and thus lays the foundation for high-quality patient care in the coming years."
With their pilot project at the two locations in Halle and Magdeburg, the two medical faculties want to improve the current conditions and challenges in the final year. With its "Fair PJ" initiative, the bvmd criticizes the training conditions in this phase of studies and has launched a petition with four central demands. The key points are a standardized compensation for expenses throughout Germany, the separation of sick days and days of absence, improvement of teaching and training, in particular by securing clinical teaching staff and an appropriate preparation time for the third state examination. The aim is to appeal to those responsible for the reform process of the Medical Licensing Regulations to take these points into account in order to improve training conditions in the long term.
Background to the practical year in medical school
The PJ is the last part of medical studies before the third state examination and serves to deepen the knowledge acquired. In this final year of medical studies, students undergo 48 weeks of practical training, divided into three sections (tertials) of 16 weeks each, in different departments of a hospital or partly in outpatient areas. One tertial is completed in surgery and one in internal medicine. The third tertial can be completed in general medicine or a PJ elective in one of the other clinical-practical specialties.
Symbol photo medical studies - © Robert Kneschke - stock.adobe.com