But, he added, the U.S. health care system is flawed in a different way: Americans with less money get less health care. The first 2 years, they mostly learn basic sciences (chem, physics, mol bio, etc) from what I gathered. And humanity should be a big part of medicine.”, Erika Edwards is a health and medical news writer and reporter for NBC News and "TODAY.". But when the Chicago native moved to Germany, Reich said she was shocked to learn both her insulin and insulin pump were totally covered — no out-of-pocket expenses. “We are one big community,” said Dr. Henning Baberg, a cardiologist and the medical director of Helios Hospital Berlin-Buch. One of the professors at my institute attended medical school in Germany. C'mon, it's ridiculously easy to be in top 5% in high school - even though their HS is higher caliber than ours. Americans are divided about how to pay for medical care and insurance, an issue that will continue to be debated hotly as presidential candidates tout their plans for overhauling the nation’s health care industry. “But they all get the same treatment,” he added. It would be hard to objectively compare it to US system. A lot of people don't have the maturity to take high school seriously and then actually do well in college. Students do a lot more independent learning there than in the States. From what I've heard from German folks, it's pretty hardcore (getting into as well as studies and board exams). Guy is one of the smartest people I know. What I gathered from our discussion about the typical German vs. American medical student is-- German medical students are incredibly good at knowing medical minutia. Copyright © 1999-2020 CRG, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. They are very difficult to get in, although they don't require an interview. True, your odds may be better in the country in which you practice...but I wouldn't worry about this too much. As someone who was an average student in high school, but in med school now. And the ones who aren’t able to pay that much, don’t pay that much.”. Even though she was on her family’s health insurance at the time, she said she had to pay hundreds of dollars every month for her insulin, which was necessary for her survival. You could pick the rarest enzyme mutation manifesting as some anatomical quirk and the German medical student would likely be able to pinpoint it quickly. JavaScript is disabled. Haha yup! We have pockets of excellence. I've seen a couple and they were very simple projects. hundreds of dollars every month for her insulin. I guess that law has been basically repealed by the individual states since then, making it free again. Baberg, who received medical training at the University of California, San Diego, said one advantage the U.S. health care system has is transparency. Some of them also told me that after 2 years, they tried to take Step 1 for fun and thought it was insanely difficult. And it's working. “It’s important to remember that we do have outstanding health care in the United States. “I was really surprised that everything necessary to take care of my diabetes was covered, 100 percent.”. The system there is very different. With the upcoming physician shortage and the quality of many European schools, I don't think you'll have any problems getting a residency in the U.S. Courtney Reich, 28, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2009. Everyone covered by statutory insurance has an equal right to medical care. Unlike Reich, however, they pay for private health insurance. You must log in or register to reply here. She paid about $2,000, compared to a similar previous treatment in the U.S. for which she paid about $14,000. but at least they aren't paying much for tuition compared to the US model. So they have to write a thesis to get their MD. From the few medical conversations we've had I don't think he has any gaps in his medical education compared to US med schools and if I had to guess knows more than a lot of US grads.m I know he and a few others from the school came to Harvard to do research for a little bit and seemed to fit in just fine. (In Germany, every federal state has its own regulations for doctors.) No one goes bankrupt in Germany because of medical care costs. The ones who are able to pay more, pay more. Also, no interviews, no EC's. So maybe the depth of the material isn't the best, but you guys seem to think positively of the level of education, except #1. Courtney Reich, 28, pays just a few euros a month in Germany for her insulin necessary to treat type one diabetes, compared with the hundreds of dollars she used to pay living in the U.S. Helene Sula, 32, tore her ACL while skiing in Europe, and was treated by doctors in Germany. Reich said she couldn’t help feeling like a drain on the country’s system, and expressed those feelings to her German friends. In the US, there's the MD title, which they don't have there. I've seen a couple and they were very simple projects. While Germany is just the size of a U.S. state, it produces half of the # of med students compared to the U.S. every year: sure, until you don't get in because you weren't in the top 5% in high school. “It’s about having a safety net, because tomorrow you don’t know what could happen,” Reich told NBC News. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Apparently, it's super easy to get a PhD as a med student. ^ That is, as far as I know, no real PhD. It encompasses both statutory health insurance for people who earn less than a certain salary, as well as private health insurance for those who earn more and choose to purchase their own.