First teaching practice for pediatrics in Saxony-Anhalt
Magdeburg University Medical Center is strengthening training in the outpatient sector and setting a new standard for recruiting the next generation of pediatricians.
A first for medical training in Saxony-Anhalt: For the first time, medical students can complete a portion of their clinical rotation (PJ) in pediatrics at an outpatient teaching practice. Starting April 1, 2026, the practice “Kinderärzte am Dom” in Magdeburg will be integrated into the training network of the Medical Faculty at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg as an academic teaching practice.
Photo: Presentation of certificates to the team at the Magdeburg pediatric practice “Kinderärzte am Dom.” Pictured (from left): practice owners Dr. Diana Straubel and Lisa Klug, as well as Dean Prof. Daniela Dieterich and Prof. Gunther Gosch. Photo: Melitta Schubert
While clinical rotation practices have traditionally been concentrated in general medicine, the new agreement offers students, for the first time, a structured insight into outpatient pediatric care. One training position in the elective subject of pediatrics and adolescent medicine is available per training period (tertial). Clinical rotation students can spend up to eight weeks at the teaching practice. The goal is to allow students to experience the diversity of this specialty early on and to promote the urgently needed next generation of physicians.
The Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Prof. Dr. Daniela Dieterich, sees the collaboration as an important boost for training and care: “With the first pediatric clinical rotation teaching practice in Saxony-Anhalt, we are expanding our students’ practical training to include a central perspective on outpatient medicine. Pediatric and adolescent medicine is a specialty of great social importance with a growing need for new talent. By giving students early insights into evidence-based outpatient care for children and adolescents, we are strengthening both the quality of education and, in the long term, local medical care for families in our region.”
Science Minister Prof. Dr. Armin Willingmann is also pleased with this innovative program: “In medicine, in particular, theory and practice are inseparable. To successfully treat sick people, one needs not only academic expertise and empathy but also very practical knowledge, such as how to organize outpatient care. The integration of the new teaching practice will enable medical students in Magdeburg to gain insights into the important field of pediatric and adolescent medicine. Everyone involved will benefit from this.”
Linking Studies and Outpatient Care
Training is patient-centered and structured: Students deepen their knowledge through direct contact with young patients and their family members; they take on medical tasks under supervision according to their level of training and participate in case conferences and continuing education. Part of each clinical rotation will continue to be completed in an inpatient setting at Magdeburg University Hospital, ensuring that outpatient and clinical experiences are closely integrated.
Practice owners Lisa Klug and Dr. Diana Straubel, specialists in pediatric and adolescent medicine, welcome the collaboration: “In addition to clinical pediatrics and adolescent medicine, outpatient pediatrics offers a broad spectrum of preventive and consultative tasks. As a teaching practice, we want to demonstrate how diverse and responsible this field is and inspire enthusiasm for working with children, adolescents, and their families,” says Dr. Straubel.
Klug adds: “We also view our designation as the state’s first pediatric clinical rotation teaching practice as a positive signal for our specialty. Fostering the next generation begins with gaining valuable insights into everyday professional life, which takes place both in the hospital and in the practice. We are delighted to contribute to the training of future colleagues in collaboration with Magdeburg University Medical Center.”
The “Kinderärzte am Dom” practice, founded in 1998 by Prof. Dr. Gunther Gosch, now an honorary professor of pediatrics and adolescent medicine at Magdeburg University Medical Center, has been involved in student training for several years. Gosch, who continues to work as a specialist at the practice, brings his many years of experience in outpatient pediatrics, ultrasound diagnostics, and vaccination and infectious disease medicine to his teaching. With formal recognition as a PJ teaching practice, this established collaboration is now being structurally expanded and consolidated. Together with his colleagues, Prof. Gosch hopes that in the near future, additional pediatric and adolescent medicine practices in Saxony-Anhalt will become involved in the training of medical students as academic teaching practices.
The network of academic teaching practices in the field of general medicine at Magdeburg University Hospital comprises a total of 22 clinical rotation practices. By integrating suitable practices into the clinical rotation, the faculty is adhering to the requirements of the Licensing Regulations for Physicians and is specifically strengthening the integration of university education and outpatient care.