Doctor (physician) in Germany and Austria
A doctor diagnoses, treats and follows patients in a hospital or a practice. The path takes about six years of medicine, a licence to practise and then several years of specialist training in a hospital; licensing rules and pay depend on the country.
About the profession
Doctors examine patients, make diagnoses, choose treatments and carry them out. They work in hospitals and clinics, in private practices, and in research and the pharmaceutical industry.
Facts
What the job is
Doctors work in hospitals, private practices or outpatient clinics. They ask patients about their complaints and medical history, carry out or order examinations, make a diagnosis and choose the treatment: they prescribe medicines and therapies and carry out procedures and minor interventions. In emergencies they give immediate help, and in everyday work they spend a lot of time on prevention and on talking with patients.
Besides treating patients, doctors take part in clinical research, work in the pharmaceutical industry — for example in clinical trials and drug safety — and teach at medical universities.
Examination and diagnosis
- ✓take the patient's history
- ✓examine the patient: pulse, blood pressure, temperature, listen to heart and lungs
- ✓order tests — blood tests, ECG, ultrasound, X-ray, CT, endoscopy
- ✓assess the results, make a diagnosis and estimate the course of the disease
Treatment and advice
- ✓explain the diagnosis and the treatment options
- ✓prescribe medicines, physiotherapy or radiotherapy
- ✓carry out procedures: injections, infusions, dressings, stitches, splints
- ✓do the ward round and look after in-patients
- ✓refer patients to a specialist when needed
Emergency care
- ✓recognise life-threatening conditions and give emergency treatment
- ✓work on-call shifts, including nights and weekends
Prevention
- ✓give vaccinations and check-ups
- ✓advise on a healthy lifestyle and health risks
Records and organisation
- ✓keep medical records, write discharge letters and reports
- ✓prepare data for billing medical services
Research, teaching, pharma
- ✓take part in clinical studies and write research reports
- ✓give lectures and seminars at a university hospital
- ✓plan and supervise drug trials in a pharmaceutical company
Examination and diagnosis
Work with a patient starts with a conversation: the doctor finds out what is wrong and what illnesses the person has had. Then comes the examination: blood pressure and pulse, listening to the heart and lungs, palpation, ultrasound. If needed, the doctor orders blood tests, an ECG, an X-ray or a CT scan, narrows down the possible diseases and makes a diagnosis. Junior doctors in a hospital do this together with senior colleagues — a senior physician or the head of department.
Treatment, advice, prevention
The doctor explains the treatment options and refers the patient to a specialist when needed. They prescribe medicines, physiotherapy or radiotherapy, give injections, stitch wounds and apply dressings, treat colds and skin diseases. In hospital the doctor looks after the patients of a ward and does the morning round. With seriously ill people, pain relief and quality of life come first, and the possibilities and limits of treatment have to be explained with care. Vaccinations, check-ups and advice on a healthy lifestyle are part of the job too.
Shifts and paperwork
Hospitals work in shifts, with night duties and shifts at weekends and on holidays. In emergency care decisions must be fast and sure. A lot of time goes into paperwork: reports, discharge letters and records of the treatments given.
Research and teaching
Doctors also work in research — for example at university hospitals: they run studies, write research reports, give lectures and hold exams. A research career usually requires a doctorate.
The pharmaceutical industry
In pharmaceutical companies doctors supervise the testing of new medicines on people from a medical point of view: they plan clinical trials, prepare and run them, evaluate the results and monitor drug safety.
Where to study for it
Specialities that lead to the profession, and programmes in them.
Programmes in the field «Medicine» →By country
Licence to practise, recognition of a foreign degree and other rules of each country.
Germany
In Germany the licence to practise (Approbation) follows the state examination; with a degree from outside the EU it is granted through a recognition procedure.
- Licence to practise
- Approbation (§ 3 BÄO)
- Specialist training
- 5–6 years of paid hospital work
Checked by StudyInFocus, october 2026
Austria
In Austria you may practise medicine once you are entered in the register of doctors (Ärzteliste) of the Austrian Medical Chamber.
- A degree from outside the EU has to be nostrified — recognised as equal to the Austrian Dr. med. univ.
- Proof of German is required.
- Specialist training (Facharzt) takes at least 72 months including 9 months of basic training; general medicine at least 60 months.
- Licence to practise
- entry in the Ärzteliste (§ 4 ÄrzteG 1998)
- Specialist training
- at least 72 months (ÄAO 2015)
Checked by StudyInFocus, october 2026
Labour market
Doctor (physician) in Germany — figures with their sources.
Similar professions
More about the profession
How to become a doctor as an international student
The safest way is to study medicine in Germany: the state examination entitles you to the Approbation. With a foreign medical degree you need recognition and an examination in medical German (C1).
Is the profession right for you?
A career test shows an interest in medicine but cannot tell whether you will cope with long studies, night shifts and responsibility. Career guidance compares your abilities and motivation with a doctor's real work and suggests fallback paths — from pharmaceutics to medical engineering.