German doctors can train outside hospitals

Foreign doctors can complete German specialty training in an outpatient clinic. The months count when an authorised trainer supervises you and your state medical chamber accepts that training site.

A hospital is not the only workplace for junior doctors in Germany. In an outpatient clinic, you see booked patients, write reports, perform procedures, and speak with families without a ward round.

What is an outpatient training job?

An outpatient medical centre (MVZ) is a clinic with employed doctors from one or several specialties. A practice can also train junior doctors, from a small family medicine office to a large radiology group.

These jobs are strongest in specialties with much outpatient care. Family medicine, dermatology, psychiatry, radiology, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, and laboratory medicine use many outpatient training posts.

You still need the same training record, called a Logbuch. You collect signed entries for patient numbers, procedures, courses, and required rotations.

The trainer decides whether months count

The building does not make your job a training post. One named specialist must hold a training licence, called a Weiterbildungsbefugnis, from the state medical chamber.

That licence names the specialty and the number of months. A dermatologist may supervise 12 months of dermatology training, while another clinic can supervise 24 months.

The licence can also name limits. A trainer may supervise only 1 junior doctor, or may lack permission for a required procedure block.

Check these papers before signing

Ask the clinic manager for the trainer's current authorisation letter. Do this before you sign the employment contract or move cities.

• The trainer's full name and medical chamber
• The specialty named on the authorisation letter
• The number of training months authorised
• Your written contract as a junior doctor
• The clinic's plan for required rotations

Then email the state medical chamber yourself. Ask: "Will this post count toward my specialty training, and how many months can Dr Name certify?"

The chamber decides the final credit. The clinic's job advertisement and a verbal promise from a chief do not replace the chamber's written answer.

Why your full licence matters

Your full doctor licence (Approbation) gives you access to more outpatient employers. MVZ groups and practices want a doctor who can work without a local employment restriction.

A temporary work permit can limit your employer, region, or supervised duties. That makes a hospital post easier to arrange than a place in a private outpatient clinic.

With a full licence, you can apply to hospital departments, MVZ groups, and specialist practices across Germany. The training licence still decides whether the months count.

What to do now

1. Search for junior doctor jobs in family medicine, dermatology, psychiatry, radiology, and orthopaedics.
2. Request the trainer's current authorisation letter before signing any contract.
3. Email the named state medical chamber with the trainer's name and clinic address.
4. Keep the authorisation letter, contract, rota, and signed Logbuch entries in one folder.

Stand: 2026-09-30. This is a guide, not legal advice. Every German state has its own rules, and rules change. Check with your state's [medical chamber (Landesärztekammer)](https://www.bundesaerztekammer.de/aerztekammern) before you act.