Vocational Training in General Practice in Germany: A nation-wide survey among trainees

Background The increasing shortage of (primary care) physicians in Germany is currently being discussed within and outside the profession. A national survey among general practice trainees aimed to explore their perspectives of vocational training (VT). Methods After translation, cultural adaptation and web implementation of the questionnaire of the Vasco da Gama Movement, the survey was conducted during 2009. Descriptive analyses were performed. Results Among 436 participants (mean age 36 years, 64% female, 49 months of VT) discipline-specific ("medically diverse discipline", one-to-one care, and "holistic approach"), but also gender-related (females: "compatibility with family life", males: "autonomy and independence", and "opportunities to start their own practice") aspects were important to their choice of career. Despite the heavy workload job satisfaction, but not salary satisfaction, was generally high. Participants rated the following general conditions and content of VT as important. "structured rotations", "rotations in hospitals", "management skills", "working in a local care setting and in a multidisciplinary team" (all > 88%). Conclusions These results provide clues to improving VT in General Practice with respect to organisation and content including the consideration of gender-related living conditions. Furthermore, improvement and further development of VT programmes should ideally be part of an area-wide, interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach.