The 6-Step Way To Present A Patient In Germany

In a German hospital, a patient presentation is not a story.

It is a fixed order with 6 parts. The senior doctor (Oberarzt) listens for one missing piece, not the whole case.

Why does the order matter so much?

Because the senior doctor has 90 seconds between patients, not 5 minutes.

If you start with yesterday's lab value instead of today's reason, he has to stop you and ask.

This same order also gets tested without a name on it.

The medical language exam (Fachsprachprüfung) has a patient interview. It is one of 3 parts, about 20 minutes of the 60-minute exam (as of 2026-10).

The same structure carries you through the exam, the trial day (Hospitation), and the ward round.

Steps 1 to 3, in order

1. Patient and reason: name, age, why they were admitted. 'Herr Can, 54 Jahre, aufgenommen wegen akuter Luftnot.'
2. History (Anamnese): only what explains today's problem. Past illness, medication, what changed before admission.
3. Findings (Befund): vitals, exam, labs, imaging, in that order, numbers first.

Steps 4 to 6, in order

1. Working diagnosis (Verdachtsdiagnose): the diagnosis the findings point to, even if you are not certain.
2. Course (Verlauf): what happened since admission, what treatment was given, how the patient responded.
3. Plan (Procedere): what you want from the senior doctor. A test, a drug, a decision.

What happens if you skip the plan?

The senior doctor has to ask you for it, in front of the ward round.

That is the moment that makes you look unprepared, not a wrong diagnosis.

Step 6 is also the line that gets remembered.

A junior doctor who ends with a clear request sounds ready for the job. That is true before a single lab result is checked.

Before your trial day or interview

1. Write the 6 words on a card: Grund, Anamnese, Befund, Verdachtsdiagnose, Verlauf, Procedere.
2. Practise on 3 real patients from your last rotation, out loud, in under 60 seconds each.
3. Ask a German-speaking colleague to interrupt you if you leave out step 6, the plan.
4. Record yourself once and check whether findings (Befund) came before the diagnosis, not after.

Stand: 2026-11-03. 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) before you act.