Undergraduate Medical Education in Palliative Medicine in Germany

INTRODUCTION Since August 2009 Palliative Care has become a mandatory subject at each medical school in Germany. Thus undergraduate education in palliative medicine has got a solid basis which was missing up to now. However, issues of implementing palliative medicine may arise now. METHODS By repeated surveys at all 36 medical schools between 2006 and 2008 as well as by personal contacts to students and lecturers the working group on palliative medicine of the German Medical Students' Association (bvmd) was able to create a comprehensive overview of the state of undergraduate medical education in palliative medicine. RESULTS In contrast to the results from 2006 in the following years all 36 faculties have integrated palliative medicine in their curricula. Currently four chairs of palliative medicine exist and six universities offer palliative medicine as a mandatory subject. CONCLUSION Now an extensive and well structured education in palliative medicine for all students is paramount. A curriculum in palliative medicine for undergraduate medical education has been re-edited recently by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Palliativmedizin (DGP) and may support establishing high quality education in this new mandatory subject.