Medicine

A fully integrated state-examination degree in human medicine at the University of Rostock's Medical Faculty, structured across pre-clinical and clinical phases with mandatory bedside teaching in 22 clinical disciplines and the concluding practical year at partnering hospitals and general practices.

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The Medicine programme at the University of Rostock's Universitätsmedizin Rostock (UMR) leads to the German state medical examination (Staatsexamen) and follows the nationally regulated structure of medical education in Germany, divided into three consecutive phases. The **pre-clinical phase** (years one and two) builds the scientific foundations of medicine. Students engage with human anatomy, biology, general and organic chemistry, physics, and medical terminology alongside medical physiology and an introduction to biochemistry and molecular biology. Parallel to lecture-based coursework, the programme requires students to complete a three-month nursing service placement, giving early exposure to patient care before the clinical years begin. Students also complete first-aid training as a formal requirement. The **middle pre-clinical and early clinical phase** (years two and three) deepens biomedical science with advanced biochemistry, physiology, medical sociology, and medical psychology, while also introducing students to clinical medicine through structured seminars and bedside rotations. This bridging phase develops the ability to integrate scientific knowledge with patient-oriented thinking. The **clinical phase** (years three through five) forms the intellectual core of the programme. Students receive instruction in 22 clinical disciplines and 14 interdisciplinary cross-sectional areas through a combination of bedside teaching and small-group seminars. Clinical competence is assessed through two formal OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) assessments, which test procedural and communication skills in simulated patient encounters. Students also complete elective clinical attachments (Famulaturen) during non-lecture periods, rotating through different medical specialties in hospital and outpatient settings. The programme concludes with the **practical year (Praktisches Jahr)** in the sixth and final year — 48 weeks of full-time clinical work divided equally among internal medicine, surgery, and either general medicine or a clinical elective of the student's choice. This year is carried out at affiliated hospitals and clinics and constitutes the final preparation before the state licensing examinations.