Everything that has a beginning also has an end – and mostly that which has an end also has a continuation. So it is after six years of medical studies, long-awaited, the end is suddenly there and new questions arise: Where will I earn my first bread and when? How do I write a good application and what do I have to consider during an interview? Answers can be found here.

Where, how, when – the application

For most students, it is clear at the end of their studies that they would like to work as an assistant doctor in a clinic. The choice of subjects is of course up to you. You should not only take your own preferences into account, but also carefully weigh all objective advantages and disadvantages: For example, frequency of duties, regular working hours, income, colleagues and cooperation and much more.

University clinic or small hospital – here too there are different preferences. In any case, the internet offers good opportunities to find out more about the individual clinics and their range of services. In small hospitals in particular, it is important to find out about the training authorization of the individual chief physicians. So you can be sure that you can complete the entire specialist training in a clinic, if you wish. For instance, people prefer to get familiar with the situation and interview environment; for that reason, it is recommended to pursue Medicine Interview Course at https://www.medicmind.co.uk/interview-online-course.

Once a decision has been made for a subject and a location, an unsolicited application is one of the options; In my experience, the chances of the current job market are not bad.

Medical journal online with job market

By the way, an application is possible even before the hammer exam has been completed. In this way, it is possible to start work immediately after passing the exam.

The application portfolio – rocket science?

Many pages on the Internet offer tips on everything to do with written applications. But fear is not as complex as it is often described, it is not at all in the computer age.

This must be in an application folder:

• Cover letter (a kind of presentation of yourself). The cover letter should contain the following information, among other things: Why do I want to start in this clinic, why in this subject? What do I expect from my work? Use the cover letter to make a good impression!
• Cover sheet with photo, name and reason for the application
• Tabular CV
• Certificates, degrees and copy of examination mark-sheet (1st and 2nd medical examination)
• I myself was tied to a specific location and therefore only wrote speculative applications, every six months or so before I wanted to start work. Sometimes letters were received that the job situation for the desired period was not yet foreseeable, but there were also invitations to job interviews.

The interview

The first question that arises before a job interview: what should I wear? It is often said: ” Appropriate for the job, not too casual”. But what counts in particular is that you feel comfortable in your clothes.

Anyone who has not yet found out about the clinic and the respective department should do so in advance of the conversation at the latest.

It never hurts to have an answer ready for the following questions:

• Why our clinic and our department?
• What do you find fascinating about the subject?
• How do you imagine your future (clinic or practice)?
• Family planning?
• Your own strengths and weaknesses?
• Wishes for the future position and the employer
• Salary expectations (yes, you can address that …)

I myself sat across from two chief physicians in an interview, who made the decisions for the internal medicine departments together. Armed for all eventualities, I was faced with a completely different kind of interview. I was asked less questions than asked to ask my questions. Completely taken by surprise, I didn’t even know what to ask at first, because I believed that I had already received all the relevant information on the Internet.

The two doctors kindly said something about their department on their own initiative. When I received information about training days, salary and on- call services, it quickly became clear to me that I would have naively accepted many circumstances without being informed. After a 20-minute conversation, I was able to take a tour of the house. I then gladly accepted the invitation to a trial working day.

The trial working day

In any case, you should ask for a trial working day, because “walking along” with an assistant doctor gives you a realistic impression of the working atmosphere and also learns details that would certainly have remained hidden from a single conversation with the boss.

I myself received a lot of additional information on the trial working day and was able to gain an impression of the working atmosphere.

Checklist: Which position do I accept?

The following list was the basis for me to decide between different job offers.

Checklist

• How many patients does a doctor look after on average?
• What are the working hours (new Working Hours Act)? How is overtime handled (payout vs. time off in lieu)?
• How frequent are weekend and night shifts?
• How does the rotation require for further training work?
• How often and under what conditions are assistant doctors deployed in the functional departments (Sinology, etc.)? Are you adequately instructed by a senior physician?
• How is the induction period regulated?
• How much is the salary?
• How is the working atmosphere? What is the relationship like between assistants, senior and chief physicians? How does the cooperation with the other professional groups (nursing, etc.)?
• Do you have the option of staying in a staff dormitory for the beginning? What does an employee parking space cost?
• Are there internal and external training opportunities and paid training days?
• What about family friendliness? Is it also possible to work part-time?

If you consider all the possibilities, you should be prepared for the application and the interview. And then you just have to choose the better job.