CIY Abroad

PJ list of the State Examination Office (LPA)

Before you apply, you should make sure that your desired foreign institution (university hospital/teaching hospital) has already been recognized by the North Rhine-Westphalian State Examination Office (LPA). The list of foreign institutions already recognized by the LPA can be found after logging in to ILIAS. The institutions on the LPA list are generally only recognized for internal medicine and surgery. If you would like to complete an elective subject, you must therefore ensure that this elective subject is explicitly mentioned at the respective institution.

If your desired foreign institution or the desired elective subject is not yet on the LPA list, you must have it recognized by the LPA through a so-called "equivalence procedure" before starting your respective PJ tertial. To do this, you must first contact a local (i.e. UKD) university lecturer in the relevant subject (surgery, internal medicine or elective subject) using the form provided by the LPA (certificate of equivalence), who will check the equivalence.

Please contact at the Office of the Dean of Studies if you have any questions.

Student status abroad

If you would like to complete a full PJ tertial abroad, you must ensure that you also have student status abroad for the corresponding period. In order to prove this student status abroad, you must be enrolled in medicine at the respective foreign university at which or whose university hospital or teaching hospital you are completing the PJ section. If enrolment is not possible, you can alternatively prove your student status by submitting a status certificate. You can find a template for the status certificate on the LPA website (see second page: "Confirmation").

Some universities abroad use their own template to confirm student status. Universities in Switzerland, for example, refer to their template for student status as a "certificate of equivalence". This is accepted by the LPA as long as the content matches the LPA template. If in doubt, clarify with the LPA in advance whether the foreign template will be accepted. It is also advisable to ensure that the medical faculty of the foreign university will actually certify the required student status before starting your tertial. Without this certificate, a completed PJ tertial abroad cannot be recognized.
On the LPA website you will also find the template in French, Italian and Spanish (see Certificate of practical training in a hospital abroad).

However, if half a tertial is completed abroad, a certificate of student status at the foreign university is not required. A so-called declaration of inclusion - available from Ms. Wissenbach - is sufficient in this case. It must also be ensured that the institution is already recognized by the LPA. If the institution and/or the elective subject of a recognized institution is not yet on the LPA list, an application for recognition (see above equivalence procedure) is required before a declaration of inclusion can be issued.

Utilization of days of absence

If two tertials or tertial halves overlap due to the earlier or later start date abroad, you can compensate for the overlap by taking days off. During the entire PJ, 30 days of absence (regardless of the cause) are permitted. A maximum of 20 days of absence may be taken in one tertial. NEW (since November 2023): In the case of a split tertial, a maximum of 10 days of absence may be taken per tertial half of 8 weeks.

Recognition

Subsequent recognition of the tertial abroad is carried out by the LPA.
Note: If the compulsory tertials in surgery and/or internal medicine are completed abroad, this must be indicated accordingly as "surgery" or "internal medicine" on the tertial certificate! Certificates with subspecialties such as "Cardiovascular Surgery", "Hematology" or similar are not permitted for the compulsory tertials.

Note on insurance cover

You are not insured by HHU or the UKD during your stay abroad. You must clarify your insurance status abroad in advance with the respective foreign institution. You may need to take out the relevant insurance policies abroad (health, liability, accident insurance, etc.) before you leave.

For further information, please refer to the LPA leaflet.

Organization on your own initiative

As a rule, you must organize your PJ placement (internship) abroad yourself. Please note the above information on the guidelines! In ILIAS you will find the presentation slides of our event series "Medicine goes abroad". In the presentation slides you will find tips on how to find an internship abroad as well as some examples. You will also find experience reports in ILIAS from your fellow students who have already completed a PJ stay abroad. Benefit from the information and addresses provided by your fellow students! You can find direct access to the corresponding folder in ILIAS in the right-hand column on this page. Please note: in the mobile view, you will find access to ILIAS at the bottom of this page.

PJ at our partner universities and institutions

You are welcome to apply for a (half) PJ tertial at one of our partner universities and institutions. Please note the current calls for applications on our website.

Clinical internship year within the Erasmus area

PJ tertials within the so-called "Erasmus area" can be funded within the framework of "Erasmus+ Internship". In contrast to "Erasmus+ Study" (for a semester abroad), an Erasmus+ partnership between the foreign university and HHU is generally not necessary for Erasmus+ Internships.

You must organize the PJ placement yourself. Once you have been accepted by the foreign institution, you can apply to the HHU International Office for financial support via Erasmus+ Internship.

Please note that funding for PJ tertials is not possible via the Erasmus+ Studium program. Only semesters abroad can be funded via Erasmus+ Studies.

Clinical internship year outside the Erasmus area and overseas

If you will complete your PJ tertial outside the Erasmus area (e.g. in Switzerland) and/or overseas, you can apply for financial support through the HHU Mobility Grants or the PROMOS scholarships at the HHU International Office. Detailed information can be found on the website of the International Office.

DAAD

You can research funding opportunities from the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) in the scholarship database or see the current calls for applications.

Further external funding opportunities

Further external funding opportunities are presented as part of our "Medicine goes abroad" event series. The presentation slides in which these external funding opportunities are listed can be found in ILIAS. You can find direct access to the corresponding folder in ILIAS in the right-hand column on this page. Please note: in the mobile phone view you will find access to ILIAS at the bottom of this page. 

An expense allowance or payment as part of a PJ abroad can be accepted in full. However, BAföG recipients should ensure that the allowance of approx. 6,200 euros per year is not exceeded. (see: Bafög - What allowances are granted?)

Do you have further questions?
Do you need a Letter of Recommendation/Dean?
Do you need help filling out the application forms - seal and signature?

Then please use the form via this online portal.

A transcript of records in English is available from Mrs Wacker in the Examination Administration. You can download a certificate of study/certificate of enrollment in English here: Digital Study Organisation.