[Stimulating Interest, Opening Up Perspectives: A Bathing Water Inspection as an Extracurricular Activity to Attract...

The public health service (ÖGD) has had little presence in human medicine studies in Germany to date. As a result, students lack knowledge about its practical tasks, meaning that the ÖGD is rarely considered when choosing a career. This situation contributes significantly to the shortage of young doctors in public health departments. Elective placements during the practical year are intended to attract students to the ÖGD; however, evaluations indicate that the offered places are not being filled, despite the positive assessment. Project description To promote interest in the ÖGD at an early stage and in a low-threshold manner, an extracurricular course was developed at Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen as a supplementary elective in the interdisciplinary area of Health Economics, Health System, and Public Health. In the summer semester of 2025, a 90-minute bathing water inspection was held for the first time in cooperation with the Giessen Health Authority. The aim was to provide students with practical insights into the work of the ÖGD in the fields of water and environmental hygiene, while also establishing personal contact with the authorities' employees.

Feedback from participants showed that the event was found to be enriching both professionally and in terms of career orientation. In contrast to clinical placements or PJ elective terms, the format allowed for very low-threshold access without requiring students to choose between other subject areas.

Extracurricular elective courses such as bathing water inspections can serve as a complementary strategy to raise students' awareness of the ÖGD at an early stage and thus contribute to the long-term recruitment of young talent to public health service.