Pick your Speciality
Pulmonology
Q&A Professional Association
What are the key points of specialist training?
Program currently under revision. Currently 6 years (3 years general internal medicine), 3 years clinical further training in pneumology or 2 years pneumology + 1 year options (intensive care medicine, research).
How expensive is this specialist training?
CHF 800 for the specialist examination.
What further training options and specializations are there?
No specializations, certificate of competence in sleep medicine, certificate of competence in radiation protection in pneumology.
How can a stay abroad in this area be implemented or is it even necessary? (e.g. necessity of the USMLE)
Not necessary, can be implemented without problems, as there is quite a lot of freedom in the curriculum; 18 months of clinical specialist training must be completed at a recognized training institution in Switzerland.
How well can this specialty be combined with research (clinical research or basic research)?
1 year can be credited as further training, there is a lot of research activity at larger clinics.
How important is it to do research (e.g. to do an MD-PhD)?
It is always appreciated, but is not a necessity for the specialist title. It is still essential if you are aiming for an academic career.
How important is it for your starting job to gain an insight into this subject area during the elective year?
Little relevance.
Q&A Physicians
Resident Physician, M, 36 years old
How old are you?
36 y/o
Where did you study and when did you graduate?
Lausanne, 2013
Do you have a doctorate?
Yes
When did you become a specialist?
Will have completed the specialization training in summer 2024.
How long did your specialist training take?
At least 2 years of internal medicine, 3 years of pneumology.
What is your current position (and background)?
Resident in pulmonology, previously a specialist in internal medicine, worked for 4 years as a senior physician in internal medicine.
How does your working week look like?
I have a 100% workload, officially 50 hours a week, which we can at least keep to, but of course there are also times when we have a greater workload and overtime is generated. However, we are regularly compensated for these. Overall, compensation means that overtime rarely accumulates over a longer period of time.
We don’t have shift work, but we do have on-call duties where we have to be available at home to carry out consultations (about one night a week). In rare cases, we have to go to hospital for emergency bronchoscopies or BiPAP training.
In everyday clinical practice, I have constant patient contact.
When and why did you choose this specialization?
I was already interested in the specialty of pneumology during my studies, but it was always clear to me that I wanted to pursue an FMH in internal medicine first.
The specialty of pneumology is a very broad one, we see very young patients (e.g. asthma or cystic fibrosis) through to older patients. We also have a broad spectrum of diseases, we see degenerative, inflammatory, infectious or neoplastic diseases, etc. Sleep medicine is a technical component of our specialty with the various PAP therapies. While bronchoscopies and pleural interventions also allow manual work. Pneumological diseases are often treated on an interdisciplinary basis.
I find this great variety in my day-to-day work exciting and makes our specialty unique.
How would you describe your time as a resident?
After just a short time, you will be able to diagnose and treat the common pneumological diseases yourself and thus work autonomously with these diseases. This also allows you to get to know the more complex diseases. Most residents already have extensive experience in internal medicine, which is certainly an advantage in pneumology.
Is part-time work possible already during residency?
Yes, part-time work is possible in pneumology.
What working modalities does your specialist title offer?
With us, all options are open.
How competitive is it to complete this specialist title in Switzerland?
It is not competitive in Switzerland.
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?
Compared to other specialties, training in pneumology is certainly compatible with family planning.
What do you wish you had known before your specialist training?
Nothing.
Why should someone choose this specialty?
Varied, pleasant working atmosphere in pneumology, interdisciplinary.
What challenges await someone in this field?
We often have long-planned work schedules where our on-call duty and weekend shifts are already defined. In our company, for example, a junior doctor is on call approximately every 10 days and on weekend duty approximately every 2 months.
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?
Some experience in internal medicine is necessary, and even longer experience in internal medicine is certainly useful. However, complete training in internal medicine is not mandatory.
What advice would you give to young medical students?
Pneumology is a great specialty that is often underestimated. We have a pleasant working atmosphere in the various training hospitals and very varied work. However, a good basic training in general internal medicine is certainly useful.