[The teaching of nuclear medicine in Germany]

Molecular imaging and therapy as applied in nuclear medicine represent an important contribution to modern medicine. The university curricula of medical schools permit to convey knowledge of nuclear medicine. In this study, the status quo of nuclear medicine teaching at German medical schools shall be surveyed for the first time.

In cooperation with the chairs and/or lecturers, the topics organizational conditions, scope of teaching, teaching methods, examinations, evaluations, composition of teaching staff, interest of the students in the field of nuclear medicine, as well as suggestions for improvement of teaching were recorded.

All 36 public German medical schools participated in the survey. In these medical schools a median of 12 hours of nuclear medicine is being taught. 52 % of the teaching consists of teacher-centered learning. 18 medical schools teach additional elective courses in nuclear medicine. Nine 9 persons (median) per department are involved in the teaching. The examinations, in all but one school, follow a multiple choice format. The students' interest in nuclear medicine is perceived by the educators to be predominately medium to high.

Potential improvement might be achieved with regard to the quantity of teaching lessons, innovative methods of teaching, design of the exams, the establishment of a nationwide e-learning platform, as well as measures to increase the motivation of teachers.