Application

Austria has four Medical Universities, which are in Vienna, Graz, Innsbruck and Salzburg. If you are interested in coming to Austria, you should first check the following pages. There you can see which paperwork is necessary:

• Professional exchange conditions
• Research exchange conditions
• Insurances
• Visa & Letter of invitation

If you are interested in research exchange, search the currently available projects in the main IFMSA database by selecting "Austria".

Finally, there are three ways to get your practice organised:

1. With the help of our partner organizations

Partner organisations sign a bilateral contract. This contract regulates bilateral exchanges which means that

• for each student going abroad there is a student coming to your country
• both partners help you with the application procedure
• both partners are in charge of the respective incomings

So the best and easiest way is to contact our partner organisation in your home country! Find the organisation in your country on the website of IFMSA! They will tell you how and when to apply! You will do all paperwork with them, and they will send us all the required documents as discribed in the exchange conditions above.
We need to receive the application documents at least 4 months prior to the desired beginning of your clerkship or research exchange. Finally you will get the information whether you are accepted or not about 8 weeks prior to the beginning of your clerkship or research exchange.

2. Do it yourself!

Clerkships (german = Famulatur) are practical trainings at a clinic / hospital! Medical Students in Austria have to perform four months of mandatory clerkships during their curriculum. Therefore virtually every hospital in Austria is prepared to accept students for this practical training. In most cases students don't get paid for this job, but on the other side they neither have to pay! In some cases students get the food for free, in other cases they get it at reduced price. Rarely hospitals provide lodging, but they may help you with finding a cheap place. Working clothes are always provided. You should always bring your own stethoscope, lamp and tourniquet, as well as a pair of preferably white shoes for the hospital.

We guess that every hospital would be willing to accept foreign students for a clerkship. In many cases it will be sufficient to send a photocopy of your students certificate.

During a clerkship, the student is not attributed very difficult jobs. He is charged with taking the patients history, doing the first clinical assessment, fullfilling basic clinical duties (injections, blood pressure measurement, assisting operations, follow ward rounds, helping with the documentation, writing letters etc.) The supervision is generally not structured and rather scarce. If you want to learn a lot of new things you have to show your interest, ask a lot of questions and be willing to help a lot with the routine work, the doctors want to get rid of! Don't be passive, stay for the evenings, do night shifts!

German language is of course important, although English is generally understood by doctors and a lot of patients. But those that do not speak any German are advised to rather choose surgery!