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This message is meant to supplement information regarding a frequent topic in this forum. Are DO's allowed to practice overseas, esp. Europe?
The European Council has passed ruling 93/16, last updated on May 14th, 2001 recognizing all Medical education within the European Union as transferrable.
If you are not a citizen of the European Union or if you did not receive your medical education within the European Union, you are not covered by 93/16. In this case it doesn't matter what your medical degree is or which non-EU country you are a citizen of. MD has no advantage over DO and USA no advantage over Timbuktu when it comes to 93/16.
In this case every country can decide on an individual basis on whether to recognize your degree.
In Germany, according to paragraph 10 of the Code of the German Federal Chamber of Physicians, a German state chapter of said chamber can grant a license to practice medicine if the applicant can furnish proof that he has completed the medical education of a physician and enjoys full practice rights in his home country.
Since an American DO will not have difficulty fulfilling this requirement it can be said that full practice rights are obtainable even though German trained DOs are restricted to the practice of manipulation only. The decisive factor is what the DO is allowed to do in the country in which he was trained.
Final decisions lay with the local state chamber and all cases not covered by 93/16 will be considered on an individual basis, no general rules apply and evaluation of all credentials rest within the discretion of the chamber.
It can be expected that in the course of approaching expansions of US/EU relations, medical degrees from the USA will soon come to enjoy preferred status over degrees from other nations when it comes to recognition of equivalence.
I hope to have served you with this.
Oliver Seitz, MS II
The European Council has passed ruling 93/16, last updated on May 14th, 2001 recognizing all Medical education within the European Union as transferrable.
If you are not a citizen of the European Union or if you did not receive your medical education within the European Union, you are not covered by 93/16. In this case it doesn't matter what your medical degree is or which non-EU country you are a citizen of. MD has no advantage over DO and USA no advantage over Timbuktu when it comes to 93/16.
In this case every country can decide on an individual basis on whether to recognize your degree.
In Germany, according to paragraph 10 of the Code of the German Federal Chamber of Physicians, a German state chapter of said chamber can grant a license to practice medicine if the applicant can furnish proof that he has completed the medical education of a physician and enjoys full practice rights in his home country.
Since an American DO will not have difficulty fulfilling this requirement it can be said that full practice rights are obtainable even though German trained DOs are restricted to the practice of manipulation only. The decisive factor is what the DO is allowed to do in the country in which he was trained.
Final decisions lay with the local state chamber and all cases not covered by 93/16 will be considered on an individual basis, no general rules apply and evaluation of all credentials rest within the discretion of the chamber.
It can be expected that in the course of approaching expansions of US/EU relations, medical degrees from the USA will soon come to enjoy preferred status over degrees from other nations when it comes to recognition of equivalence.
I hope to have served you with this.
Oliver Seitz, MS II
