Internships are a compulsory element of veterinary training and are a prerequisite for admission to the examination. Passing the veterinary examination is in turn a prerequisite for obtaining a veterinary licence. This licence entitles you to practice veterinary medicine without restrictions in Germany. The aim of the internships is to prepare students for this professional activity. For this reason, requirements for the internships are comprehensively formulated in TAppV of 27 July 2006 in Section 3 “Practical Part of Study Course”, Sections 54 to 62 and in Annexes 6 to 12 as well as in the First Regulation amending TAppV of 20 December 2017.

The State Examination Office for Health Professions at the Berlin State Office for Health and Social Affairs (State Examination Office) must check compliance with the internship requirements as a prerequisite for admission to the state veterinary examination. The university shall determine the timing of the internships (Section 54, Sentence 2 TAppV). This means that veterinary medicine students are subject to strict requirements when completing their internships, which are listed below. All internship certificates must be submitted as a prerequisite for final admission to the final examinations of the veterinary examination in the 11th semester. The State Examination Office governs all decisions regarding internships and admission to examinations.

The internships are held outside the lecture period and generally during full-time working hours throughout the working week to an appropriate extent in accordance with the workload in the respective facilities (Section 54, Sentence 1 TAppV). A minimum number of hours and a minimum number of weeks are set for the duration of the internship. Both minimum criteria must be met. Depending on the actual working hours per day and the working days per week, the minimum number of hours and the minimum number of weeks are usually met at different points in time. For example, if veterinary work is only carried out in half-days at an abattoir, the number of internship weeks is extended until the required minimum number of hours is met. If, when working in veterinary clinics, the required total number of hours is met before the total number of weeks due to a higher number of weekly working hours, the internship must be continued until the minimum number of weeks is reached. If the required minimum number of hours or minimum number of weeks cannot be met due to absence (e.g. illness), these absences must be made up. The latter applies regardless of whether there was a valid reason for the absence (e.g. doctor's letter) or not.

Students complete the following internships as part of their studies:

• Agricultural Internship

• First section of the practical training in the curative veterinary practice (short curative internship)

• Second section of the practical training in the curative veterinary practice (long curative internship)

• Practical training in ante-mortem and post-mortem meat inspection

• Practical training in inspection activities, methods, and technologies for the foodstuffs sector

• Training in Veterinary Public Health (Veterinary inspection offices)
  

Further information on extramural internships, learning objectives, evaluation and certification can be found in the booklet “Guide to EPT” [German version].

pursuant to section 23 (1) (3) and para. 2 TAppV

First section of the practical training in the curative veterinary practice 
(in short: short curative internship (kleines kuratives Praktikum) pursuant to sections 57(1), 58 and 59 TAppV)

Second section of the practical training in the curative veterinary practice (long curative internship)
(in short: long curative internship (großes kuratives Praktikum), sections 57(2), 58 and 59 TAppV)

Practical training in ante-mortem and post-mortem meat inspection
(in short: abattoir internship (Schlachthofpraktikum) pursuant to sections 55 (2) and 56 (2) TAppV)

Practical training in inspection activities, methods, and technologies for the foodstuffs sector
(in short: hygiene and food inspection internship (Hygiene- und Lebensmitteluntersuchungspraktikum) pursuant to sections 55 (1) and 56 (1) TAppV)

Training in Veterinary Public Health (Veterinary inspection offices)
(in short: public veterinary services internship (Praktikum Veterinärwesen) pursuant to sections 61 and 62 TAppV)

Elective Internship
(section 60 TAppV)

Practical training in ante-mortem and post-mortem meat inspection and Practical training in inspection activities, methods, and technologies for the foodstuffs sector

To support students in finding suitable internships, the Meat Hygiene Working Group at the Institute for Food Safety and Food Hygiene provides information and contact details of potential internship providers.

Quality Seal “Veterinary Training Practice” from the Federal Association of Practicing Veterinarians

To ensure the quality of student training, the Federal Association of Practising Veterinarians (Bundesverband Praktizierender Tierärzte, bpt), together with students, veterinary schools and the Assembly of German Veterinary Establishments, has developed quality standards that a practice must meet in order to be awarded the “Veterinary Training Practice” Quality Seal by the bpt and to be registered as a recognised training practice in the Practice Directory.

German Veterinary Medical Society Internship Provider Directory

The German Veterinary Medical Society (Deutsche Veterinarmedizinische Gesellschaft, DVG) provides students with an overview of potential internship providers in university institutions, public offices, research institutions, zoological gardens and industry.

For the guide “Arranging the EPT" by the Federal Association of Practicing Veterinarians (bpt), please click here.

The internship agreement is provided in the booklet “Guide to EPT” [German version] and can be used to conduct a compulsory internship required for students of Veterinary Medicine in accordance with Sections 54 to 62 and Annexes 6 to 12 TAppV. A corresponding form from the internship provider can be used instead.

The German-language internship certificates according to the annexes of the TAppV must always be submitted to the State Examination Office (LAGeSo). Translations of the internship certificates plus the internship requirements in English, French and Spanish are available on the school's homepage.

It is recommended that the person responsible for the internship (EPT provider) confirms both the foreign-language and German certificates by signing them.

The central website on internships abroad of Freie Universität Berlin is a good source of information and inspiration on the subject. In addition to tips and information on planning, carrying out and supporting internships abroad, you will also find reports from other students (e.g. a report from Veterinary Medicine).

Students at general universities or technical colleges complete an internship prescribed in the study or examination regulations either before, during or after the completion of their studies. Voluntary internships carried out in connection with your studies for reasons of expediency are also possible.

In the case of university or technical college internships, the university/technical college has no direct influence on the conduct or organisation of internships. During the internship, students are integrated into the organisational structure of the company, thus fulfilling the requirements for dependent employees (abhängig Beschäftigte) according to Section 2 Paragraph 1 (1) of the Social Code (SGB) VII. For the accident insurance assessment of internships, it is not relevant whether they are voluntary or a compulsory requirement according to the study or examination regulations. The accident insurance provider for the internship company is responsible (Section 133 Para. 1 SGB VII). Any practical activity in connection with your studies or doctorate that is/must be completed outside Germany is not usually covered by accident insurance, unless the social security law of the host country also provides for an entitlement to benefits for such activities.

In summary: If the internship takes place directly in the Faculty, you are insured against accidents by the University. If the internship takes place outside the University, the internship host must provide insurance cover. You must notify the responsible accident insurance provider.

For the learning objectives, please see the learning objective catalogue.

The School of Veterinary Medicine at Freie Universität Berlin provides its students with catalogues of learning objectives [German version], German-wide standardized logbooks and German-wide standardized evaluation forms for the extramural internships (EPT) for both students and EPT providers. These lists encompass important activities that the students should see or perform as part of their internship.

In order to ensure a high standard of veterinary training and to improve the achievement of first-day competencies by graduates (ESEVT Day One Compentence), the school evaluates the EPTs both by the students and by the EPT providers and documents any activities carried out in the form of a separate logbook.

The booklet “Guide to EPT” [German version] provides the corresponding EPT certificates for each internship as well as logbooks and two evaluation forms - one for the students and one for the EPT providers.

The completed evaluation forms must be submitted personally to the Veterinary Library together with the completed logbook signed by the EPT provider and the EPT certificate.

• Link to the Internship Certificates

If you have any questions about the internships, please contact the internship officers.