PJ Abroad
The Faculty of Medicine promotes students' mobility abroad and maintains numerous partnerships with excellent universities worldwide. The PJ Office gladly offers students support with preparations for a stay abroad.
Office Hour
Thursday: 10am in the Dean's Office conference room, Corridor A, Floor 2, Room 3
Study Abroad Framework Conditions
Tertial Certificates for Abroad
Templates of tertial certificates for abroad are available below in the download section. Please use the English-language tertial certificates for other German-speaking countries, such as Switzerland, Austria, etc. Study abroad may only be completed during our trimester periods (see download section). The same rules apply regarding absences as the ones for within Germany (see I. Formal Requirements).
Important
If either the mandatory trimester surgery or internal medicine is completed abroad, it must be designated as "Allgemeinchirugie" or "General Surgery" or "Innere Medizin" or "Internal Medicine" on the tertial certificate. Technical specifications such as Accident Surgery or Cardiology are not allowed for the mandatory trimesters.
Hospitals Abroad
If you are independently looking for a hospital abroad, it is important to make sure that the hospital is recognized by the Landesprüfungsamt for PJ training. You can find a list of acceptable hospitals on the LPA pages.
Recognition of New Foreign Hospitals
If the hospital is not on the PJ list, a review of equivalence must be conducted before the PJ begins. You must contact the subject representative responsible (Chefarzt) at the UKA and then the PJ Office with the required form. You can find the Equivalence Certificate below or on the LPA homepage.
Recognition from the LPA must be present before the PJ begins. Please submit this to the LPA in a timely manner.
If you are going to a partner university, you do not need a review of equivalence for the hospital. Please speak with the Dean's Office in advance to make sure the institution is a partner university.
Student Status
You must make sure that you will have student status abroad (certificate of enrollment from the foreign university). If this is not possible, you must have the foreign university issue you a certificate, stating that you have the same rights and obligations as the medical students at the foreign university. You can find a template for this certificate on the second page of the tertial certificate for abroad (see download section). You cannot receive credit for your work abroad without this certificate. Only the dean of the foreign university is permitted to sign the certificate.
If you have student status at the foreign university, you will remain enrolled as a primary student at RWTH.
Insurance
You are not insured through RWTH Aachen during your stay abroad. You must speak with your host university about your insurance status abroad.
Make sure you have health insurance that is valid outside of Germany, for example health insurance for abroad, as well.
Proof of Language Skills
Proof of your language skills is required for stays abroad outside of English- and French-speaking countries. This can be documented by a university instructor or confirmation of participation in a language course, for example at the VHS.
Splitting
For stays abroad it is possible to split a trimester into two sections, each lasting eight weeks. The eight-week section must be completed at the same hospital abroad. The second eight-week component must be completed in the corresponding department at UKA. Splitting is only possible once during the PJ and must be approved in advance by the PJ Office. You can find the corresponding splitting requests below in the download section.
Important note: Try to plan your stay abroad one year before the PJ begins, since you have to complete various formalities in advance.
Inform the PJ office as soon as you have a definite, written acceptance from the foreign university or hospital.