On the way to the Austrian health system: CORE supports refugee doctors
Preparation for the sample test
The CORE support program started with a study group in spring 2018. This study group supports refugee doctors in preparing for the so-called "sample test". The sample test is used by the university to determine whether the foreign study is "equivalent" to the Austrian or if and how many examinations the refugee doctors have to take. Between March and June 2018, the first study group met twice a week for 7 hours at the CORE Center, discussed different subject areas in German, exchanged information and familiarized themselves with the examination modalities of the sampling test. For Nour Kaddah, a Syrian doctor, the exchange with the others has great benefits:
"In the study group at the CORE Center, I prepare myself for nostrification with other medical graduates. Learning together is much faster, it motivates me and is very helpful. "
The learning group received support from an asylum-seeking physician who had already successfully completed the nostrification procedure. Even after completing the study group, the doctors meet at the CORE Centre regularly to exchange ideas, to plan further steps and to study together.
Study group pharmacology
Like the sample test, the exam in the field of prescription science is obligatory for all medical doctors who want to get their degrees recognized in Austria. In order to help prepare for this exam, a learning group in the field of pharmacology was offered as part of the CORE project. In the run-up to the exam in October 2018, the study group met twice a week between the end of July and the end of September to discuss various topics of pharmacology in German. Also this group was accompanied by an asylum-seeking physician with successfully completed nostrification.
Language course for medical doctors
In addition to the learning groups, the CORE project so far has organized four special language courses for medical professions at different language levels. The aim of these courses, which focus on professional communication with patients and colleagues, is to consolidate the knowledge of the participants in medical terminology and prepare them for everyday clinical practice. In addition to courses that introduce the refugee doctors to the medical jargon, also courses to prepare the refugee doctors for the mandatory language examination of the Vienna Medical Association are offered. Since the first course took place in September 2018, 4 additional special language courses have taken place.
Integration of migrants and refugees
