Career Opportunity in Germany for Faculty of Health Sciences Students

A career opportunity in Germany is coming for students studying in the field of health. Through an agreement between Bahçeşehir University (BAU) and Medufication International GmbH, students will have the opportunity to work as well as receive language training in Germany.

According to estimates by the World Health Organization and the World Bank, global demand for health workers will reach 80 million by 2030. According to the European Labour Market 2020 report, nursing staff are seen as the most needed occupational group in 18 countries, led by the United Kingdom and Germany, followed by physicians and healthcare staff respectively. While there is significant demand from Germany for health personnel from Türkiye in particular, the first requirement set by Germany is German language proficiency. Taking action in this regard, BAU has entered into a collaboration with Germany-based Medufication International GmbH, aiming to support students who wish to continue their education, find internships and find jobs in Germany.

Medufication International GmbH, which has strong connections with leading schools and companies providing education especially in the field of physical therapy, will support BAU students by guiding them on education, internships, employment and language training. All services will be provided for BAU students who wish to continue their education in Germany, and students' needs such as accommodation will also be met. Working with companies providing physiotherapy services, the company will offer a wide range of services, from language services to guidance on social life and counseling, to help BAU Faculty of Health Sciences students enter working life in Germany.

"THERE ARE MANY ADVANTAGES TO BEING IN GERMANY"

Gökberk Demirel, who completed his undergraduate and master's studies at the BAU Faculty of Health Sciences and has had the opportunity to develop his professional skills in Germany, shared the following about his experience in Germany: "In 2012, I was admitted to the Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation at BAU and, although it was not compulsory for my department, I began my education with a one-year English preparatory program of my own choice. In 2014, I also began studying in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics as part of the double major program. I completed both departments with honors in 2017 and began my master's degree in Chiropractic the same year. I completed my master's degree in 2020.

That same year, I applied to the ERASMUS program and came to Germany. The reason I chose Germany is that it is close to Türkiye. I also receive scholarship support under the ERASMUS program. Within this program, I have the opportunity to apply physiotherapy and chiropractic approaches to patients who come to the clinic, which improves my professional skills. In addition, I attend a language course to improve my language skills; shortly afterwards I will take the language exam and complete the diploma recognition procedures. If I can secure the necessary means, doing a PhD is also among my plans. There are many advantages to being in Germany. For me, I would say it is the opportunity to develop myself in chiropractic and, in addition, the chance to speak German in daily life, which speeds up my language learning."

FREE GERMAN LANGUAGE COURSE FOR STUDENTS

Stating that the greatest demand for health personnel from Türkiye comes from Germany, BAU Faculty of Health Sciences Dean Prof. Dr. Fatma Eti Aslan said that this demand stems from the Turkish population in Germany and the fact that the older generation does not speak German. Aslan said: "The first generation of Turks in Germany does not speak German, and this generation now has chronic diseases. They need physiotherapy and nursing care at present, but they do not know a word of German. Therefore, the health professionals Germany prefers most are physiotherapists and nurses. On the other hand, the number of physiotherapy and nursing students in Türkiye who speak German is small. The biggest obstacle to building a career in Europe is language training. For this reason, as the BAU Faculty of Health Sciences, we offer a free German course to our final-year students and graduates. Our students take intensive German classes.

It is essential to implement a number of practices to strengthen students' foundations in response to the global shortage of health workers. For example, through our representative company in Germany, Medufication International GmbH, we offer our students the advantage of doing internships with professional practice in Germany. We count internships completed in this way as their official internships. We carry out this work within the framework of our collaborations with universities in Germany. We also provide exchange opportunities through ERASMUS. We design the content of our curricula in line with the national core program and as recommended by the World Health Organization and other professional organizations."