Average income of Doctors in germany
Doctor salaries in Germany vary a lot depending on qualifications and experience. Here is information from 2018.
After the medical German exam – doctors typically earn €4500 as assistant doctors in a hospital (which can be increased to net €5500 by doing additional duties – like night shift etc..) while preparing for the approbiation exam (final licence exam -which they need to pass within 2 years).
In Hospitals: Doctors earn on average
| Position | Average Income in Euro |
| Head Physician | 100.000 – 280.000 |
| Assistant Medical Director | 100.000 – 130.000 |
| Specialist | 65.000 – 85.000 |
| Assistant Doctor | 48.000 – 55.000 |
Own Clinic : This can only be opened after a number of years practice in a hospital and a large amount of experience. This is an income list for specialist doctors with the own clinics:
| Specialisation | Income in Euro |
| Radiologist | 850.000 |
| Eye Doctor | 370.000 |
| Orthopedic Specialist | 311.000 |
| Urologist | 302.000 |
| Surgeon | 281.000 |
| Gynecologist | 217.000 |
| General Practitioner | 227.000 |
| Childrens Doctor /Pediatrist | 228.000 |
| Neurologist/ Psychiatrist | 180.000 |
Information Source: Destatis (Statistisches Bundesamt)
To become a Specialist
After the approbation exam, a doctor will be fully licensed in Germany and can also start doing the specialization.
Specialization can be done in many different fields and the field can be chosen by each doctor individually. It will be done while working and to specialize will take 4-5 years. The final exam will be done in the medical council which is the awarding body for medical specialization.
If you already hold a specialization from abroad, you can apply for recognition after passing the approbation exam and see what the Germany Doctors Association recognizes of this – so if a foreign pediatrician wants to get their qualifications recognized in Germany they can only do so at this stage.