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. Thanks to the agreement between Bahçeşehir University (BAU) and Medufication International GMBH, students will have the opportunity to work in Germany in addition to receiving language training.

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 the most needed occupational group in 18 countries, led by the United Kingdom and Germany. They are followed by physicians and healthcare personnel, respectively. While there is significant demand from Germany for health personnel from Türkiye in particular, the first requirement set by Germany is proficiency in German. Taking action in this regard, BAU has partnered with Medufication International GMBH, based in Germany, aiming to support students who wish to continue their education, do internships and find jobs in Germany.

Medufication International GMBH, which has strong connections with leading schools and companies providing education particularly in the field of physical therapy, will guide and support BAU students in matters such as education, internships, employment and language training. All services will be provided to BAU students who wish to continue their education in Germany, and the students' needs such as accommodation will also be met. Working with companies that provide physiotherapy services, the company will offer a wide range of services, from language support to guidance on social life and consultancy, to help BAU Faculty of Health Sciences students enter professional 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 gained the opportunity to develop his professional skills in Germany, shared 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 started my education with a one-year English preparatory program at my own request. In 2014, I also started studying in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics within the scope of the double major program. I completed both departments with honors in 2017 and started a master's degree in Chiropractic the same year. I completed my master's degree in 2020.

The same year, I applied for the ERASMUS program and came to Germany. The reason I chose Germany is that it is close to Türkiye. I also receive scholarship support within the ERASMUS program. Within the scope of this program, I have the opportunity to apply physiotherapy and chiropractic approaches to patients who come to the clinic. In this way, I am improving my professional skills. In addition, I attend a language course to improve my language skills, after which I will take the language exam shortly and complete the diploma equivalence 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 can say they are the opportunity to improve myself in the field of chiropractic and, in addition, the acceleration of my language learning thanks to the chance to speak German in daily life."

FREE GERMAN LANGUAGE COURSE FOR STUDENTS

Stating that the greatest demand for health personnel from Türkiye comes from Germany, Dean of the BAU Faculty of Health Sciences Prof. Dr. Fatma Eti Aslan said this demand stems from the Turkish population in Germany and the fact that the older generation does not speak German. Aslan said, "The first Turkish generation in Germany does not speak German, and this generation now has chronic illnesses. They currently need physiotherapy and nursing care, but they do not speak a word of German. Therefore, the health professionals most preferred by Germany are physiotherapists and nurses. On the other hand, the number of physiotherapy and nursing students in Türkiye who speak German is low. 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 senior students and graduates. Our students are taking intensive German lessons.

To address the shortage of health workers in the world, it is essential to implement a number of practices to strengthen students' foundations. 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 done 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 an exchange environment 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."