MedUni Vienna: 300 graduates celebrate finishing their studies

(Vienna, 12 November 2010) Now for the fourth time the annual graduation ceremony for young medical students has been celebrated in front of around 8,000 attendees in the Austria Center in Vienna. For the first time the graduation certificates were handed over in three separate rounds because of the high number of graduates.

During the ceremony lasting the whole day Rector Wolfgang Schütz handed out certificates to the around 300 graduates as proof that they successfully completed their medical studies. In three rounds the successful students took their oath and received their graduation certificate.

The large number of graduates was mainly because of the new Medical Curriculum Vienna (MCV), which has been in force since 2002 and has raised the number of successful graduates from 50% to approximately 90%. Unlike the previous curriculum, where the studies were completed individually and in very uneven stages, the new curriculum has led to a much more efficient structure with a beneficial effect on the duration of studies and the quality of education and training.

On average the MCV is completed in six years and with teaching in small groups it encourages that more attention is paid to every single student on the one hand and there is also a much better network among the students of each year and the community spirit is enhanced. The practical orientation of the training is also regularly emphasised by the hospitals where the young medical students work.

After finishing their studies the graduates have the option at MedUni Vienna of studying for a doctorate in applied medical sciences or a PhD. The PhD courses in particular are gaining in importance each year and there are also many foreign students on such courses at MedUni Vienna.

The Medical University of Vienna therefore combines a career model which gives young scientists the prospect of a guaranteed job at MedUni Vienna and therefore also ensures the continuation of science and research at MedUni Vienna.

Vice Rector Rudolf Mallinger says on the increasing number of successful graduates: "In recent years we have managed to provide high-quality studies that train highly qualified physicians who can also compete with the very best internationally. But as is known the universities are still suffering from chronic underfunding despite the recent measures, and this could be crucial for the future, especially from 2013. Whoever is saving here is not only making savings in the location of Austria but also ultimately with the qualified care of patients."

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