Second stage of studies

The dental training programme includes a four-week clinical traineeship (Famulatur), which must be documented as an admission requirement when registering for the third part of the State Dental Examination.

The purpose of the clinical traineeship is to familiarise students with practical dental work in various professional and occupational fields involving direct patient contact, without the students themselves already working independently on patients.

The clinical traineeship must be completed on a full-time basis under the supervision and guidance of a person holding a dental licence. The key requirement is active participation in patient care.

Students are required to complete the clinical traineeship during lecture-free periods (semester breaks or semesters of leave) after passing the first part and before taking the third part of the State Dental Examination. Successful completion must be certified using the official template set out in Annex 11 of the Regulations on Dental Licensure (ZApprO). During the period of the clinical traineeship, enrolment in the clinical part of the dental degree programme must be maintained.

If the requirements of the university curriculum necessitate undertaking part of the clinical traineeship during the semester, this must be officially certified on the clinical traineeship certificate with the official seal of the Faculty of Dentistry.

According to § 15 (4) of the german Regulations on Dental Licensure (ZApprO), the clinical traineeship is to be completed as follows:

• For a total duration of four weeks.
• At least two weeks must be completed with the same dentist.
• At the beginning of the clinical traineeship, the dental practice or clinic must sign an Agreement for the Completion of a clinical traineeship (“Vereinbarung zur Durchführung einer Famulatur“) (please use the relevant form available on our website).
  

How is the clinical traineeship period calculated?

For the overall four-week clinical traineeship, 28 calendar days must be documented. The clinical traineeship may be split into up to two sections. The minimum duration of a section is 14 calendar days. The clinical traineeship should be scheduled to begin on a working day; a start on a Saturday, Sunday, or public holiday is not counted. If the clinical traineeship is completed in less than 28 days, only fully completed weeks count, including the weekends.

A 14-day clinical traineeship will only be recognised if it can be demonstrated that at least 10 working days were actually spent completing the clinical traineeship. A four-week clinical traineeship will only be recognised if at least 20 working days were actually spent completing it. The number of working days actually spent on the clinical traineeship must be indicated on each clinical traineeship.

The clinical traineeship must be completed without interruption; interruptions, e.g., due to clinical courses, are not permitted. In the case of an interruption due to illness (proof required), the clinical traineeship in progress is considered one section if it is resumed immediately after recovery. Clinical traineeships should generally be planned so that the practice or clinic is open during this period.

What should be observed when certifying the clinical traineeship ?For confirmation of the Famulatur according to § 15 (6) ZApprO, the form “Zeugnis Famulatur” (Clinical clerkship certificate) must be used.
https://rp.baden-wuerttemberg.de/themen/bildung/ausbildung/ausbildung-zahnarzt/formulare/ [de]

Please ensure when certifying the Famulatur that:

• Only certificates that correspond in content to the above-mentioned form (“Zeugnis Famulatur” or “Clinical clerkship certificate”) are used. In particular, the certificate must indicate the number of working days actually spent on the clinical traineeship. Other certificates will not be recognised when registering for the third part of the State Dental Examination.
• The certificate is signed by the supervising dentist and bears the stamp of the practice or clinic.
• No untraceable corrections may me made
• The clinical traineeship certificate (“Zeugnis Famulatur” or “Clinical clerkship certificate”) is issued only after completion of the clinical traineeship, as any period certified beyond the date of issue will not be recognised.
• The certificate confirming completion of the clinical traineeship, together with the completed agreement between the university and the practice/clinic, must be submitted with the application for admission to the third part of the State Dental Examination (each in the original or as an officially certified copy).

According to § 15 (4) of the german regulations on dental licensure (ZApprO), a clinical traineeship completed abroad may be recognised. In such cases, the same conditions generally apply as for clinical traineeships undertaken in Germany.

Recognition of clinical traineeships and certificate of achievement for the same period is not possible. Students admitted to study dentistry at a foreign university and obtain courseworks there that can be recognised may only complete their clinical traineeship during that university’s lecture-free period. If courseworks are also to be recognised, the exact dates of the certificate of attendance or practical courses to be recognised must be recorded in the Transcript of Records or in the Certificate of Equivalence, to exclude any overlap with the clinical traineeship.

The clinical traineeship certificate must bear the stamp of the practice or other institution. If the institution does not have a stamp, the clinical traineeship must be certified on the institution’s headed paper. Recognition of a clinical traineeship completed abroad takes place upon request (informal request by e-mail is sufficient). For each recognition procedure, a fee of currently €30.00 is charged. This must be transferred to the account specified in the recognition notice, quoting the payment reference (Kassenzeichen).

The following documents must be submitted with the application:

• Clinical traineeship certificate in the original or as an officially certified copy (amtlich beglaubigte Kopie), which must include information on the student and the period of the clinical traineeship, as well as a brief description of the activities undertaken. (For clinical traineeship certificates in languages other than English, a certified German translation must also be provided. This also applies to practice/clinic stamps.)
• Copy of the certificate for the First Part of the State Dental Examination, if the examination was taken outside of Baden-Württemberg.
• Recognition notice (Anrechnungsbescheid), if the First Part of the Dental Examination was recognised in a dental degree programme abroad.
• Enrolment certificate.
• Agreement between the university and the practice/clinic (form available on our website in english; agreements in other languages must be submitted with a german translation).

Note for students whose First Part of the Dental Examination has been recognised:
Completion of a clinical traineeship requires enrolment in a dental degree programme in the Federal Republic of Germany. Without such enrolment, it is not possible to undertake the Famulatur.

If enrolment exists in a dental degree programme at a university abroad, the clinical traineeship can only be recognised if it is compulsory according to the foreign curriculum and is equivalent to a clinical traineeship under the Licensing Regulations for Dentists (ZApprO).

Please address your applications to the :

Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart
Landesprüfungsamt für Gesundheitsberufe (LPA BW)
Ruppmannstr. 21
70565 Stuttgart
Please contact us in a timely manner, preferably by email, with your questions. Your inquiries will be answered as soon as possible. Application documents can be submitted via email.
https://rp.baden-wuerttemberg.de/themen/bildung/ausbildung/ausbildung-zahnarzt/formulare/ [de]

Contact:
Internet: Ausbildung und Approbation zur Zahnärztin / zum Zahnarzt ab dem 01.10.2021 – Regierungspräsidien Baden-Württemberg [de]
E-Mail: landespruefungsamt@rps.bwl.de