Competence Orientation
The graduate profile of our mission statement is aligned with the demands placed on physicians today by society, patients and colleagues. We want our students to fulfill the requirements of the graduate profile at the end of their medical studies. To this end, eight areas of competence were derived from the profile, which significantly shape the structure of our entire model course of study.
Eight Areas of Competence
We define competences as the active integration of knowledge, skills and attitudes used in meaningful connection with each other. All of our courses focus on the development of these eight areas of competence:
is the ability to actively advocate health promotion, to make decisions about prevention, diagnosis and therapy according to the rules of medical art and to act accordingly.
is the ability, based on the fundamentals of natural science, to understand the human being in its structure and function in health and disease, to analyze disease processes and to use them as a basis for prevention, diagnostics and therapy.
is the ability to critically question information, to analyze it, to formulate hypotheses and to test them using appropriate methods.
is the ability to critically reflect on attitudes and values in medical practice and to live responsibly while considering and respecting sociocultural differences and patients' claims to autonomy.
is the ability to approach each person appropriately.
is the ability to self-organize and self-reflect as the basis for lifelong personal development.
is the ability to use the available resources efficiently.
is the ability to communicate knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the context.
On the Path to the Finishing Line: Qualification Phases
Our goal is for young people to develop into good physicians. In order to give our students the best possible structure for the path to this goal, we have defined "sub-goals" on this path and divided the course of study into three qualification phases. At the end of each qualification phase, students reach the respective defined level of competence on the path to becoming a physician.
The first qualification phase comprises study years one to three and is concluded with the passing of the Intermediate Medical Examination:
At the end of Q1, students have acquired knowledge, skills, and attitudes in all eight competency areas that allow them to work on patients under supervision in medical roles.
They are now able to perform the examination and anamnesis techniques they have already learned increasingly independently under supervision.
The second qualification phase comprises study years four and five and ends with the Second Part of the State Medical Examination:
At the end of Q2, students have deepened and interconnected knowledge, skills and attitudes in all eight areas of competence in a clinical context. They also develop case-based preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic concepts.
Students are now prepared to perform medical tasks independently under supervision during the practical year (PJ).
The third qualification phase corresponds to the practical year (Praktisches Jahr = PJ). The PJ represents a continuous practical training of 48 weeks in university hospitals, academic teaching practices, or other suitable facilities for outpatient medical care. By passing the Third Part of the State Medical Examination at the end of the PJ, students also complete the third qualification phase:
Through intensive involvement in the processes of everyday medical practice during the PJ, graduates apply their acquired knowledge, skills and attitudes in all eight areas of competence in a flexible and situation-related manner.
Focus on Learning Outcomes: Düsseldorf Leading Learning Objectives
In the course of their studies, our students learn and develop knowledge, skills and attitudes in all eight areas of competence to varying degrees. The increase in competence is defined in each area for the individual qualification phases.
Competency levels are precisely defined by specific learning objectives for all three qualification phases. By achieving all learning objectives for a specific competence area, the respective competence is achieved. These 127 learning objectives form the Düsseldorf Leading Learning Objectives and are the core of the Düsseldorf Curriculum Medicine. They characterize in detail the respective increase in knowledge, skills and attitudes that our students acquire on their way to becoming doctors.