Are medical professionals in MV financially self-supporting through employment?
In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, medical students in their practical year (Praktisches Jahr, PJ) are currently receiving significantly lower monthly payments compared to their counterparts in other German states. While working full shifts and bearing substantial responsibility in hospitals, PJ students in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern typically earn around 400 to 414 euros per month[1][3], a figure that often falls short of local living costs, such as rent in Greifswald [1].
On the other hand, states like Rheinland-Pfalz and Sachsen-Anhalt pay approximately 934 euros monthly for PJ students, more than double the amount in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern [1]. This wage discrepancy highlights the region's lag in providing fair compensation during the practical year.
The state government of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, however, attributes the responsibility for remuneration to individual clinics and denies the need for direct intervention or reforms [1].
Compared to fully qualified doctors in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern who earn an average annual gross salary of around 62,500 euros (about 5,200 euros per month) [2][4], PJ students receive only a fraction of the professional doctors' salaries during training.
| Aspect | Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | Other States (e.g., Rheinland-Pfalz, Sachsen-Anhalt) | |----------------------------------|------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------| | PJ student wage (monthly) | ~400-414 euros | ~934 euros | | Responsibility during PJ | Full shifts & substantial duties | Full shifts & substantial duties | | State govt. stance | No direct obligation; clinics’ responsibility | Some states have introduced uniform fair payments | | Local cost of living impact | Rent often exceeds PJ wage | Generally better aligned | | Fully qualified doctor average salary | ~5,200 euros/month (annual ~62,500 euros) | Similar or slightly varied but much higher than PJ pay |
In an attempt to address this issue, the state government has welcomed changes to the remuneration regulations, aiming for a minimum amount equivalent to the BAföG rate, as proposed in the current federal coalition agreement [5].
Additionally, the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (KVMV) and the state have collaborated to provide an additional grant for the General Medicine training section [2]. Medical students completing their General Medicine internship with a general practitioner outside of Greifswald or Rostock can receive an additional monthly steering allowance of 200 euros [2]. This grant is given on the condition that the internship is completed with a general practitioner.
Moreover, the monthly earnings for the General Medicine internship can be more than four times higher for certain general practitioners compared to the remuneration for students at the Asklepios Clinic in Parchim [2]. To encourage students to stay in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern for their internships, the additional steering allowance for students outside Mecklenburg-Vorpommern can be increased to 800 euros if the internship is in a KVMV-recognized worthy-of-support area [2].
Some clinics in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, such as the DRK Hospital in Grevesmühlen, pay 600 euros during the practical year [2]. However, there can be even more extreme differences in pay for medical students during the General Medicine training section at the two university hospitals [2].
The state government's aim is for a nationwide uniform regulation in remuneration to avoid "unnecessary competition between the federal states and training locations" [5]. As the situation currently stands, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's medical students in their practical year are earning substantially less than many other German states, with no immediate plans for corrective action from the local government [1].
References: [1] "Mangel an Ärzten in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: Die Löhne für die Praktika sind zu niedrig" (2021, February 2). Tagesspiegel. Available at: https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/mangel-an-aerzten-in-mecklenburg-vorpommern-die-loehne-fuer-die-praktika-sind-zu-niedrig/26744738.html [2] "Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: Ärztegehälter im Praxisjahr" (2021, January 29). MDR. Available at: https://www.mdr.de/nachrichten/mecklenburg-vorpommern/medizin/aerztegehaelter-im-praxisjahr-100.html [3] "Praktisches Jahr: Ärztegehälter in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern" (2021, February 15). FOCUS Online. Available at: https://www.focus.de/gesundheit/medizin/aerzte/praktisches-jahr-aeztegehaelter-in-mecklenburg-vorpommern_id_11962085.html [4] "Mitteldeutschland: Ärztegehälter" (2021, January 29). MDR. Available at: https://www.mdr.de/nachrichten/medizin/aerztegehaelter-100.html [5] "Koalitionsvertrag: Ärztegehälter in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern sollen angepasst werden" (2021, December 4). Tagesspiegel. Available at: https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/koalitionsvertrag-aeztegehaelter-in-mecklenburg-vorpommern-sollen-angepasst-werden/26657690.html
In light of the lower payments for medical students in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern during their practical year compared to other states, there is a call for fairer compensation. For instance, students in Rheinland-Pfalz and Sachsen-Anhalt receive approximately 934 euros monthly, more than double the amount in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
To address this issue, the state government of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has advocated for changes to the remuneration regulations, aiming to match the BAföG rate, which could help lessen the wage disparity between states. This move is part of an effort to create a nationwide uniform regulation in remuneration.
