“As a foreign doctor working in Germany, it’s not enough to know how to order a pizzaâ€.
The German doctors complain about the fact that their foreign colleagues have an insufficient vocabulary when it comes down to the German language skills. “Even if the foreign doctors have in most cases basic communication skills, these are not enough for an in depth communication with the patients and the colleaguesâ€, states Die Welt. “As an on-call medic, it’s not enough to know how to order a pizzaâ€, stated the President of the Doctor Federation of Marburg, Rudolf Henke. How true this statement is can be confirmed by any person who struggled with the “Der, die, dasâ€.
The requirements that Henke has for the foreign doctors are not exaggerated. They have to be able to present the diagnosis without fail. These have to be very clearly formulated, in order to avoid misunderstandings regarding a patient’s condition. Given the shortage of doctors in German clinics, Henke welcomes doctors coming from Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Spain. But he asks from the German authorities to check more strictly the releases of approbations to practice medicine.
The data released by the Federal Medical College indicates that the number of foreign medics registered in Germany has risen in 2010 with 7.9%, at 25.316. The percentage is even bigger, regarding foreign doctors working in hospitals, reaching 12.2%. The most immigrant doctors from 2010 come from European countries, 383 come from Romania.
It is an illusion to think that in Germany you can get by with English, and still be able to intensely communicate with clients, colleagues or patients. In my 22 years of living and working in Germany, in all sorts of companies, the fact that you can’t get by without knowing your “der, die, das†has been confirmed by my personal experience and even by other foreigners experience.
You need at least the basic German language skills, and then of course you have to have the will to learn professional notions characteristic for every field of work, to be able to communicate and keep your job.
You also need to be able to understand regional dialects, because not all Germans speak Hochdeutsch. Often you are faced with the Baden-Wurttemberg, Swabian or Bavarian or other dialects that can twist your ear and tongue.
The necessity of basic German language skills is faced also by the lower classes that come to Germany for seasonal work or as on site workers, etc.
The German nation is demanding. If you want to have a job in their country, you better be able to give results and be coherent when it comes to business conversations!
