Medical Education in Austria: admission, studies, nostrification
Medical Education in Austria: Universities
Medical education in Austria is very popular, and occupations related to medicine are among the most sought-after and highly paid. Training in medical specialties in Austria is carried out by three public medical universities and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Linz, three private medical universities, and eight universities of applied sciences (FH). This is not counting other higher education institutions, training specialists in interdisciplinary professions (for example, medical equipment, medical management, etc. – about this a little later).
The main medical specialties
In Austria, there are about one and a half dozen major medical specialties. Most of them coincide with the professions in the CIS. Here are some of them:
1. Doctor
One of the most prestigious and popular professions. A doctor is a specialist who diagnoses and treats various diseases in people. In Austria, this profession is divided into three categories:
- General practitioner (therapist).
- A specialist doctor (surgeon, geneticist, ENT, urologist, etc.)
- The doctor of plastic surgery.
2. Dentist
This direction is no different from the one in the CIS countries. Treatment and prosthetics of teeth.
3. Psychologist
Unlike the CIS countries, where psychologists are not popular, in Austria this is a separate highly paid direction. It includes the diagnosis and treatment of physical disorders and psychological disorders in couples, families, children and adolescents.
4. Psychotherapist
Unlike psychology, psychotherapy is an independent medical practice for the treatment of mental, psychological and / or psychosomatic behavioral disorders.
5. Pharmacist
Specialist-pharmacist (pharmacist). He is engaged in the development, production and testing of medicines, and also advises on any issues related to medications.
6. Obstetrician
A separate direction in gynecology, specializing in pregnancy and childbirth.
7. Veterinarian
Unlike the CIS countries, where veterinary education is received, as a rule, in agricultural and technical universities, in Austria it is one of the varieties of medical specialties.
8. The musical therapist
Exotic direction. A doctor specializing in treatment with music.
9. Senior medical and technical personnel
Here it is necessary to single out 7 professions that can be obtained in 8 applied universities in the country (FH – Fachhochschule):
- biomedical analyst
- nutritionist
- ergotherapist
- speech therapist
- physiotherapist
- specialist in radiological diagnostics.
10. Nurses, other specialists for care and intensive care of patients.
Nurses, other specialists for care and intensive care of patients.
11. Assistants
Conditionally divided into subcategories in accordance with the specialization of physicians:
- for disinfection
- on autopsy
- surgeon’s assistant
- assistant radiologist
- paramedic assistant and so on.
Admission to public medical universities in Austria
The first thing you need to know when entering a medical profession is about quota regulation. The fact is that medical education in Austria is very popular, and the number of places allocated by universities is limited and strictly regulated by quotas.
The number of allocated places in the universities of Austria for the aforementioned quotas for 2016 is 1,620. Of these, 740 are allocated in Vienna, 400 in Innsbruck, 360 in Graz and 120 places for honey. Faculty of the University of Linz. The number of applications in 2016 was more than 14 000. As you can see, the competition is big. On average, this is 10 people per seat in Linz, 9 in Vienna and Innsbruck and 8 people per seat in Graz.
Registration for the examination test
Registration for the test for admission to medical institutions in universities is online.
You can not miss it, otherwise there is a risk of losing the whole year!
After successful registration it is necessary to pay the test (110 euros). Then you will receive a personal number that you will need for personal registration for the test in the summer, and can also serve as an invitation from the university (for a test) when you issue a visa at the Austrian Embassy in your country.
The test in 2017 for future students of the diploma programs “Medical Business” and “Stomatology” will be held simultaneously in all public medical universities in Austria, so you can apply for admission only in one university.
Introductory test in medical universities in Austria
The entrance test for the medical case MedAT-H consists of four blocks.
Contents of the test:
- (BMS) In the Multiple Choice mode (from the several answers you need to choose the right one) you check general knowledge of biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics at the level of school knowledge – 40%
- (TV) Understanding the content of the text – 10%
- (KFF) Cognitive abilities and skills – 40%
- (ZF) Sequence of numbers
- (GM) Memory and the ability to memorize
- (FZ) Spatial thinking
- (WF) Fluency of speech
- (IMP) Dogmatic thinking
- (SE) Decision-making in the social context – 10%
The entrance test for dentistry MedAT-Z is similar to the test for medical treatment, but it has its own peculiarities. 30% of assignments are allocated to the first and third test blocks, the second block is absent, and a new block “Practical Skills” (30% of the test) is added, where future dentists need to perform tasks for bending the wire and reflecting the shapes. This requires a high concentration of attention and accuracy.
Required documents for admission:
- Certificate of maturity or diploma
- Certificate of confirmation of university maturity (if there is a diploma of completed higher medical education, such a certificate is not needed)
- Application Form
- Copy of the passport.
Tuition fees: 750 Euro per semester
Required level of German knowledge: C1
If the language level is below C1, you can take preparatory courses at universities in Vienna and in Graz. The advantage of attending such courses is: first you pull up the German, and then you are clocked in chemistry, biology, physics, etc. In other words, you are purposefully prepared for the test.
Medical Education in the Universities of Applied Sciences
In addition to universities, you can get medical education in one of the eight universities of applied sciences (FH). Unlike medical universities, there is no quota regulation.
Let’s take a look at what programs these schools offer, using the example of the University of Applied Sciences Joanneum in the capital of the state of Styria, Graz. Plus, consider the details of the receipt.
The main programs:
- Biomedical Sciences
- Dietology
- Ergotherapy
- Obstetrics
- Speech Therapy
- Physiotherapist
- Radiological Diagnostics
- Mass spectrometry and molecular analytics
Conditions of admission:
- The presence of complete secondary education
- Confirmation of German knowledge at B2 level
- Test and / or Interview
Important! For admission to the universities of applied sciences (FH) in Austria, you need to own German (for passing the test or interview). But most FH do not provide such a service as a preparatory course (with rare exceptions and cost from 2.5 thousand euros). In this regard, the University of Applied Sciences Joanneum in Graz is the only exception, because he has been cooperating since 2014 with preparatory courses for the state. universities in Graz (VGUH). In other words, you can enter this university without a language certificate and learn German in the preparatory courses for 300 euros per semester!
Interdisciplinary education
In addition to specialized medical education, you can receive an interdisciplinary profession in Austria. It is, in a way, a combination of medical and technical or economic, or other education.
The main directions in such training are:
- Medical equipment
- Medical Management
- Medical journalism, etc.
Medical equipment includes the development, testing and commissioning of medical equipment. Specialists of this profile are a mixture of an engineer and a doctor.
Specialists in the field of medical management are managers who are competent in the field of health. They, as a rule, head hospitals and private medical centers.
Important! In Austria, there is a tough policy with cheating, so obviously this can not be talked about. Do not approach the professors with the words “write my essay for me” or use some sort of services like this, you will immediately be expelled from the university.
Nostrification (recognition of diploma and education)
Finally, the last question that we have to discuss today is the situation when you already have a medical diploma obtained in your home country.
Here the rule is one: to work or receive a further profile education, you need to pass the procedure for the recognition (nostrification) of a foreign diploma. You can do this through one of the medical universities in Austria at your choice.
In the institution of your choice, you must submit the following documents (originals and their certified translations):
- copy of the passport
- autobiography
- diploma with the application
- thesis or thesis (if available)
- Diploma of specialization (if any)
- confirmation of the absolute necessity of recognizing your diploma for professional activities in Austria
- a receipt for the payment of a nostrification fee of € 150
- in Vienna, you still need to apply for a birth certificate and a certificate (see below for links).
Postgraduate medical education in Austria
If you already have a completed higher medical education or education in chemistry, biology, biochemistry, microbiology, molecular biology, pharmacology, in the field of genetics and other related fields related to medicine, and wish to link your career with scientific activity, you can continue your scientific career on the basis of postgraduate programs in Austria.
- PhD and doctoral programs
Conditions of enrollment:
- Completed higher education in “Medicine” or “Dentistry” or completed higher education in “Medical Informatics” or other scientific and technical specialty related to the chosen topic or diploma in the above specialties, which has been nostrification in Austria.
- Knowledge of English at C1 level.
- Presence of the curator (from the faculty) on your topic. This, perhaps, is one of the most difficult stages, so the search for a curator must be started in advance. List of curators at the University of Vienna, you can see here.
The cost of PhD and doctoral programs of programs for citizens of the CIS at the Medical Universities of Vienna and Graz: 750 Euro per semester.
Duration of training: 6 semesters
2. Postgraduate education
Medical institutions in Austria offer a wide range of postgraduate professional education and continuing education programs in their Postgraduate School. This is the workshop programs with the title of Master of Science (MSc.), And the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program.
There are 18 such programs in Vienna, and 9 in Graz.
The average cost is from 5 to 20 thousand Euros.
Duration of training: from 3 to 6 semesters.
3. Internship
After graduating from the university and receiving a diploma (6 years), medical students can continue their studies in internships and get specialization, so-called. Facharztausbildung, which lasts another 6 years. It is important to note here that an internship in Austria is a full-fledged work, the acquisition of which is preceded by its search, issuance of a permit, the conclusion of an employment contract, which specifies the salary and other important points, etc. For an internship in Austria there is no distribution and you need to look for a place in the clinic yourself.
Physicians from the CIS can undergo internship provided that they have nostrified their diploma and received an invitation to a robot from one of the clinics. After successfully passing this level of training and passing all examinations, the doctor gets the right to work on his narrow specialization.