[Surgical Training in the Final Year of Medical Studies in Germany - Status Quo 2017]

In Germany, medical students in their final year will work in hospitals or medical offices to gain clinical experience. The final year is designed to prepare medical students for their work as junior doctors. It is divided into three parts and includes internal medicine and general surgery as mandatory parts. Many students develop enthusiasm or lack of enthusiasm while working in specific disciplines and often apply for jobs based on their experience in their final year. Despite the importance of this educational phase, the 36 medical faculties have implemented several different curricula and there is significant heterogeneity. There is no consistent nation-wide structure of the final year in Germany. General Surgery with its many subdiscplines is a central subject of the final year. We conducted a national survey to assess the educational structure of the final year in Germany. The survey demonstrated the significant heterogeneity of medical education provided by different medical schools. Acquisition of surgical knowledge is not guaranteed with the current structure and the anticipated knowledge gap of future doctors is worrying. We therefore recommend nation-wide consistent education for medical students in their final year, in order to ensure a solid and broad knowledge of general surgery.