Saxony-Anhalt: Medical Association: Career changer program is a success

Saxony-Anhalt
Medical Association: Career changer program is a success

18.09.2024, 18:46

Half of the family doctors in Saxony-Anhalt are older than 55 and will soon be retiring. There are many small puzzle pieces that need to be put together to counteract this trend. One has been very successful so far.

Magdeburg (dpa/sa) – With the help of a career changer program, Saxony-Anhalt is currently managing to keep the number of general practitioners constant. “This is a successful program,” said the President of the Saxony-Anhalt Medical Association, Uwe Ebmeyer, in Magdeburg. Since 2011, 222 qualified specialists have taken part in the second training to become general practitioners. 129 have so far acquired the specialist title in general medicine. The career changers come mainly from the fields of anesthesia and orthopedics, said Ebmeyer. They are looking for alternative medical activities away from hospitals with night shifts and a high frequency of on-call duties.

The chairman of the board of the Saxony-Anhalt Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, Jörg Böhme, said: “There is a lot of work involved, there is a lot of money involved.” The career changers are supported in the two years until they acquire their second specialist title. “There is also concern that the numbers cannot be maintained,” said Böhme. The proportion of general practitioners who are over 55 years old is over 700, which is about half.

Ebmeyer and Böhme particularly emphasize that there is a shortage of other medical specialties as well. Added to this are the trends towards more and more part-time work among doctors and a move away from self-employment and towards employment.