Pick your Speciality
Internal Medicine
Q&A Professional Association
What are the key points of specialist training?
-
- The training lasts 5 years and consists of 3 years of general internal medicine and 2 years of individually selectable modules with the aim of becoming a hospital internist or general practitioner.
- Research can be credited to the specialist for a maximum of 6 months and is also possible as part of an external year.
- External years can be credited in a wide range of disciplines.
How expensive is this specialist training?
The costs for specialist training amount to the usual fees for the acquisition of a specialist title (see SIWF fee schedule).
What further training options and specializations are there?
Specialist training in general internal medicine is the broadest possible training program. There are practically no limits to the further training options. For example, clinical research activities, acquisition of an additional specialist title, further training in economics, going into self-employment as a family doctor or acquiring a specialty title such as geriatrics or interdisciplinary focus on nutritional medicine.
How can a stay abroad in this area be implemented or is it even necessary? (e.g. necessity of the USMLE)
A stay abroad is particularly suitable for an academic career, but is not a mandatory requirement. Completion of the USMLE would be required for clinical work in the USA; otherwise, a language barrier may need to be taken into account for stays abroad in general internal medicine.
How well can this specialty be combined with research (clinical research or basic research)?
General internal medicine is highly suitable for an academic career or for a combination with research activities. Clinical research in particular can be ideally combined with clinical work in this broad field.
How important is it to do research (e.g. to do an MD-PhD)?
The need and demand for academic specialists in general internal medicine is high. Accordingly, an academic career offers excellent career opportunities. However, it is not a requirement to carry out research in order to become a specialist.
How important is it for your starting job to gain an insight into this subject area during the elective year?
We recommend doing this, even if general internal medicine is not the specialist title you are aiming for. The diversity of clinical pictures is unmatched by any other specialty!
Q&A Physicians
Resident, F, 29 years old
How old are you?
29 y/o
Where did you study and when did you graduate?
University of Bern, 2019
Do you have a doctorate?
Yes
Are you already a specialist?
Not a specialist yet.
How long did your specialist training take?
???
What is your current position (and background)?
Assistant doctor
- Career: 2 years Internal Medicine SRO Langenthal (incl. rotations dialysis, emergency, IB), 2 years Internal Medicine KAIM Inselspital (incl. rotations emergency, IB)
How does your working week look like?
- Workload: 100%
- Hours/week: approx. 50 hours
- Shift work: yes
- Patient contact: 3-4 hours a day
When and why did you choose this specialisation?
- During the elective year. I already realized during the elective year that a surgical subject was out of the question for me. After internships in specialties, I came to the conclusion that I liked the breadth of internal medicine best, which is why I chose internal medicine.
How would you describe your time as a junior doctor?
Basically good. I was able to do various rotations during my residency, so I found my residency very varied. I worked a lot of overtime, especially when I was starting new, but that quickly improved. Overtime wasn’t really a problem afterwards.
Is part-time work possible already during residency?
I have never worked part-time. However, in the places where I was employed, part-time work as a resident was also possible.
What working conditions does your specialist title offer?
- Hospital
- Practice
- Research
How competitive is it to complete this specialist title in Switzerland?
Not competitive
How would you rate your work-life balance on a scale of 1-10? Would your colleagues with the same specialist title confirm this?
8
How easy is it to implement family planning in this field?
Easy to implement.
What do you wish you had known before your specialist training?
Nothing
Why should someone choose this specialty?
- Broad specialisation
- Exciting cases
- Many opportunities (hospital, emergency, practice)
- Good quality of life
What challenges await someone in this field?
This depends on what your goal is (hospital intern, GP, emergency, etc.) and where you work. For instance, as a hospital resident in a peripheral hospital, regular emergency services (and therefore shift work) are part of everyday life.
Is it necessary to write the master’s/doctoral thesis in this subject area?
No.
Is it possible to find an assistant doctor position in this specialty directly after the federal examination?
Yes.
What advice would you give to young medical students?
I would do work internships in different subject areas during the elective year to find out what you like best.
Physician, M, 33 years old
Yes1-2, How old are you?
33 y/o
Where did you study and when did you graduate?
University of Bern, 2018
Do you have a doctorate?
Yes
Are you already a specialist?
Not a specialist yet.
How long did your specialist training take?
???
What is your current position (and background)?
Position: Deputy Attending Physician
- Career: 2 years internal medicine at Interlaken Hospital (incl. emergency, intensive care, oncology rotations, 6 months GP practice at Stedtlipraxis Unterseen)
- 3 years internal medicine at KAIM Inselspital (incl. emergency, IB, sonography rotations)
How does your working week look like?
- Workload: 100%
- Hours/week: approx. 50 hours
- Shift work: yes (in the Emergency Department)
- Patient contact: 1-2 hours/day
When and why did you choose this specialisation?
At the beginning, the decision in favour of general internal medicine at the end of my studies was rather an unconscious one and the result of the fact that I could hardly imagine giving up the generalist knowledge I had acquired over 6 years for a mono-subject. Over the course of my working life, the decision became a conscious one in favour of a subject with an overview, patient-oriented and economical diagnostics and therapy.
How would you describe your time as a resident?
Thanks to the many rotations and early encouragement to work independently, I experienced this time as instructive and varied. The undeniable and ubiquitous problems of long working hours, frequent shifts and administrative burdens met expectations and were and are much easier to bear thanks to a good team. In short, in my opinion, the challenges of residency always depend on the context and I can look back on a good time overall.
Is part-time work possible already during residency?
Would be possible, I have no personal experience.
What working conditions does your specialist title offer?
Very broadly applicable title from clinic to research.
How competitive is it to complete this specialist title in Switzerland?
Absolutely not competitive.
How would you rate your work-life balance on a scale of 1-10? Would your colleagues with the same specialist title confirm this?
7
How easy is it to implement family planning in this field?
As in all non-surgical disciplines, this is certainly easier.
What do you wish you had known before your specialist training?
Nothing
Why should someone choose this specialty?
Training in internal medicine not only offers you a starting point for almost unlimited opportunities within the healthcare system, but it is also an independent specialisation that gives you clinical and cognitive access to the most complex patients and thus makes medicine really exciting.
What challenges await someone in this field?
Regular duty and administrative nonsense are the biggest challenges in this subject.
Is it necessary to write the master’s/doctoral thesis in this subject area?
No.
Is it possible to find an assistant doctor position in this specialty directly after the federal examination?
Yes.
What advice would you give to young medical students?
Always remain open to new things, see challenges as opportunities, use your own intrinsic motivation as a driving force and thus find your own path in medicine. In this way, your own microcosm remains intact while a storm rages in the healthcare system.