- 1) Overview: What is an FSP course?
- 2) Goals: What a strong course must deliver
- 3) 10 criteria: How to identify quality
- 4) Core skills: history, handover, documentation
- 5) Study plan: 4 weeks (exam-style)
- 6) Common mistakes when choosing a course
- 7) 5 steps with docMeds (strategy + clinic matching)
- Official resources
- FAQ
A good FSP course is not “general German classes” — it’s clinical communication training: taking a history, asking medically correct follow-up questions, handing over a case in a structured way, and documenting it cleanly. These skills decide your result in the Fachsprachprüfung — and later in daily hospital work.
If you want to choose the right course (without wasting time and money), use the criteria and study plan in this guide — and request a free docMeds assessment if you want a personalized recommendation.
FSP course: the 4 goals that truly matter
A course is only “FSP-ready” if it trains close to the exam: real clinical dialogs, clear templates, and feedback on language + structure.
Patient interview
History taking, red flags, clear explanations, empathy — without language chaos.
Structure
Clear sequence, summary, prioritization — like real clinical work.
Doctor–doctor handover
Concise, relevant and with a plan (SBAR logic or similar).
Documentation
Short report / medical letter: correct, concise and logically consistent.
10 criteria: how to spot a strong FSP course
- 1) Weekly roleplays: interview + handover + documentation (not only theory).
- 2) Clear feedback: pronunciation, grammar, structure and clinical phrasing.
- 3) Corrected writing: short reports/letters with real corrections.
- 4) Time-pressure training: the exam is timed — course must train pace.
- 5) Clinical templates: history schema, SBAR handover, letter structure.
- 6) Exam-relevant cases: internal medicine, surgery, emergency, GP — typical classics.
- 7) Patient-friendly language: term + explanation (e.g., “Dyspnoe — shortness of breath”).
- 8) Error lists: recurring red flags, common phrasing mistakes, common writing errors.
- 9) Small groups: you must speak — not only listen.
- 10) Strategy support: course choice + exam plan + licensing/job timeline aligned.
The 3 core skills: history, handover, documentation
1) History taking (doctor–patient interview)
A strong FSP course trains a routine: chief complaint, timeline, associated symptoms, red flags, PMH, medication, allergies, social history — and a clear summary.
2) Handover (doctor–doctor conversation)
Handover must be “short + relevant + with a plan”. A good course trains SBAR or a comparable structure so you sound like a colleague.
3) Documentation (short report / medical letter)
Documentation is often the difference between “almost passed” and “passed”. A course must provide real corrections: style, tense, relevance and logical consistency.
4-week study plan (exam-style): how to use your FSP course efficiently
Learn your history template, train red flags, do 3–5 roleplays, practice short summaries.
Train doctor–doctor handovers, prioritization, “plan sentences”, and phone-style case presentations.
Write a short report/letter daily, get corrections, build your personal error list.
Complete simulations under time pressure: interview + handover + documentation, then targeted fine-tuning.
Common mistakes when choosing a course (and how to avoid them)
- Too much theory: you need speaking + writing, not lectures only.
- No writing feedback: without corrections, the biggest weakness stays.
- Large groups: you speak too little and progress too slowly.
- No clinical logic: without structure, everything sounds “unclear” and costs points.
- No timeline: course, exam date, licensing and job search don’t match.
5 steps with docMeds: choose the right FSP course & pass safely
With docMeds you don’t just get “a course” — you get a strategy. Language + exam + licensing + clinic start work together.
Language level, documents, timeline — we clarify what makes sense.
We show you what to train and how to train efficiently.
So nothing blocks your process: Approbation guide.
Based on profile, status and timeline — targeted instead of mass applications.
We support you until your first day — professional and fast.
Official resources (orientation)
Use official sources for frameworks and responsibilities. For real progress, your individual plan matters most.
Choose the right FSP course — then start safely in Germany
Want clarity instead of trial-and-error? docMeds supports your course/training plan and guides you to a suitable clinic — free for doctors.
Request free consultationFSP strategy | Process guidance | Clinic matching
FAQ about FSP courses
An FSP course is a medical language course (often C1 Medical German) that prepares you for the Fachsprachprüfung: history taking, handover and documentation.
It depends on intensity and your starting level. The key factor is exam-style practice with roleplays and corrected documentation.
When roleplays, handover templates, time-pressure simulations and corrected documentation are built-in — plus individualized feedback.
Yes. We help with strategy and planning and support your recognition/licensing process while matching you to suitable clinics. Free for doctors.
docMeds — Contact
Want a quick assessment of which FSP course fits you and what your timeline to a job looks like? Message us — we’ll reply quickly.
