westERNWALD DISTRICT PLANS TO RECRUIT YOUNG MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS
In the picturesque Westerwald district, an innovative initiative is underway to attract new doctors to the region. The Medical Camp, organized by the district health department, is a unique opportunity for medical students to gain insights into the world of rural medicine.
Two medical students, Hiwa Durmus from Cologne and David Winkler from Mainz, were among the participants this year. Both Durmus and Winkler, who are planning to pursue residency programs after completing their studies, expressed a preference for workplaces that prioritise training.
Patrick Löhr, chief physician for orthopedics and trauma surgery at the Hachenburg Hospital, was one of the mentors at the camp. He views the Medical Camp as an excellent platform to showcase good medicine and training in smaller hospitals, which often get overshadowed by larger institutions.
Nina Herbort, a family physician from Bad Marienberg, also participated in the camp for the second time with her group practice. Both Herbort and Löhr expressed enjoyment in teaching and helping young colleagues, reflecting the collaborative spirit of the event.
The current physician shortage offers more job choices for medical students, and the Westerwald district health department views the Medical Camp as one of several steps to attract young doctors to the region. The hope is that students might consider settling in the district as doctors someday.
However, it is not expected that the Medical Camp will result in students opening a practice in the Westerwald district in the immediate future. Marion Klein, from the Westerwald district health department, co-organised the camp and emphasised the urgent need for successors due to many doctors retiring in the coming years.
Klein acknowledged that immediate feedback from students is not expected, but the camp is intended to make the Westerwald district appealing to them as potential future doctors. Winkler, for one, learned from the camp that rural work is not boring and general medicine is diverse. He also acknowledged that while the physician shortage does not necessarily improve working conditions, smaller hospitals may offer less supervision for young residents compared to large university clinics.
The Evangelisches Krankenhaus Dierdorf/Selters, with locations in Dierdorf, Selters, and Hachenburg within the Westerwald region, currently seeks medical staff, including for its urology clinic at the Dierdorf site. However, no explicit current postings for general practitioners or other specialists in private practices in Westerwald-Kreis were found in the provided data.
Despite this, both Durmus and Winkler, as well as Nina Herbort and Patrick Löhr, expressed their support for the district's initiative to attract new doctors. Winkler, in particular, appreciated a workplace with some recreational value for his future job, indicating a potential shift in the perception of rural medicine among the younger generation.
As the Medical Camp continues to grow, it promises to play a crucial role in bridging the gap between urban and rural medicine, and in fostering a new generation of doctors for the Westerwald district.
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