What Contribution Can Doctors Trained in Romania Bring in Order to Remedy the Medical Deficit in Germany? Comparison of Medical Studies and Specialist Training between Romania, Germany, and Poland, Using as an Example the Fields of Internal Medicine, General Medicine, and Anesthesia

Abstract

Aim: The growing shortage of doctors in Germany is a subject that is currently well documented in the mass media. The fields with the biggest deficits are internal medicine, general medicine, and anesthesia. One of the measures to correct this problem is employing doctors who have studied abroad. The objective of this study is to assess the extent to which the deficit of trained medics in Germany can be amended with doctors trained in Romania and Poland. Subject and methods: A very good overview of this phenomenon was acquired by putting together a compilation of the educational process which leads to graduating as a medical doctor in Romania, Poland and Germany, the available literature regarding doctors migration and the annual statistical data provided by the German Medical Association. The study included processing the data obtained through two self-made questionnaires addressed to Romanian doctors. The first, with 129 respondents, was addressed to physicians who studied in Romania and were already working in Germany. The second, with 59 respondents, was addressed to Romanian students who wish to come and work in Germany. Results: The results of the Romanian survey were compared with similar studies carried out in Poland, revealing great similarities between the selected groups in training, motivation, way of thinking and perceptions of working conditions. The resulting graphics and figures provide a visual representation of the phenomenon, strengthening the conclusion. Discussion and conclusion: Taking into account the aging population in Germany, the increasing numbers of females in the medical profession, the growing trend of part-time work, the difficult medicine admission process and the unabated emigration of German doctors to the US, UK, Austria, and Switzerland, it is safe to conclude that Germany needs foreign-trained doctors. It became evident that not all the information regarding the training process in the three studied countries completely overlaps. There were also discrepancies between what is documented and the actual numbers of completed procedures that are required in order to complete the training. When taking all of this into account, the question this paper set to answer was positively answered, proof of which is the growing percentage of Polish and Romanian trained doctors working in Germany.