Agreements on Training units

Trainers must be specialists in the relevant field of medicine or dentistry. They should also hold the title of docent in the field and should have completed pedagogical training. Exceptions may be made with regard to the title of docent if the hospital or health centre has no trainer with the title of docent but otherwise meets the requirements of a training unit.

• The range of illnesses and diseases treated must be sufficiently broad and supplement the teaching provided by the university hospital.
• The unit must provide on-call services in relevant specialities, and stand-by service must be arranged appropriately.
• The unit must have an appropriate library that houses the required reading (both books and journals) of the speciality in question as well as access to relevant online information- seeking systems.
• The unit must provide in-service training (such as regular meetings) at least two to five hours per week. During academic terms the unit must provide additional training stemming from the needs of the specialising physicians as outlined in the training agreement. Specialising dentists and physicians must also be able to participate in training outside the unit (using special state subsidies or the financial support provided to employers by provincial state offices).

Permanent training agreements

Units applying for the status of a training unit must contact the appropriate degree programme coordinator (professor or docent) to agree upon the content of a permanent training agreement (i.e., an agreement valid until further notice). The agreement must indicate the approved training period, the number of available positions as well as the learning outcomes for the specialising physicians. A personal tutor must be appointed for the specialising physician. The specialising physician’s progress must be formally monitored using such methods as logbooks and regular assessment. The training agreement must be concluded until further notice on a trainer-specific basis. If there are fundamental changes in the operation of the unit, the granting of training rights to the unit in the future must be re-evaluated. The professor in charge of the field approves training agreements.

Personal training agreement

If the establishment of a permanent agreement on the training unit is impractical, a personal training agreement pertaining to a single specialising physician may be concluded. This means that the degree programme coordinator and the trainer at the hospital or health centre draft a training agreement with the specialising physician, determining the appropriate training period as well as the knowledge and skills to be attained. The degree programme coordinator approves personal training agreements.

The training unit must contact the coordinator of the speciality as well as the Faculty if the trainer changes or if a new trainer is appointed.

Specialist training in occupational health

In training units focused on occupational health where the trainer does not work in the same unit as the specialising physician for operational reasons, distance training arrangements may be made on a case-by-case basis. Such agreements must be made in writing between the coordinator, the specialising physician, the training unit and the external trainer committing to the training. The agreement must specify what arrangements will be made to ensure that the speciality-specific objectives are attained.

For occupational health, separate training agreement forms are available on the website of the Virtual University for Occupational Health Physicians.