Medical care for children: New further training network in the northwest!

Medical care for children: New further training network in the northwest!

The need for qualified doctors in the field of pediatric and adolescent medicine in Lower Saxony is noticeably growing. In order to take this need into account, the Pediatric Continuing Education Association Northwest was launched in 2025. The initiative has its origins in Schortens, where Dr. Barbara Wickenburg-Ennen took the first steps towards implementation. Today the association brings together 17 practicing pediatricians and adolescent doctors as well as five children's clinics from places such as Aurich, Oldenburg, Delmenhorst, Bremen and Vechta. The association is the fourth of its kind in Germany and sets a clear example for the region, as NWZonline reports.

The main motivation behind this association is to ensure well-structured medical care for children and young people. With the creative design of further training offers, the focus is on competency-based training that not only imparts knowledge, but also practical skills. The network enables young doctors to move flexibly between clinics and practices during their at least five years of further training. In this way, they can put their knowledge directly into practice without falling behind, as does the website Pediatrics Northwest explained.

A role model for rural regions

The initiative not only focuses on the medical field, but was also awarded the Lower Saxony Health Prize 2025. This award in the category “Lower Saxony: Designing health care in rural areas” was recently presented by Lower Saxony's Health Minister Andreas Philippi in Hanover. This recognition underlines the relevance of efforts to attract young doctors to the region in order to ensure long-term medical care for children and adolescents.

Dr. is also involved in the continuing education network. Rupert L. Dernick from Varel, Ute Paumann and Dr. Thomas Liebner from Wilhelmshaven, who together contribute their expertise. Through collaboration between practicing doctors and children's clinics, basic outpatient care for the younger generation is to be established and further developed. This is also reflected in the new concepts for training and further education, as described in the updated DGAAP.

A look at the future

The association sees its mission not only in the short term, but also pursues a long-term plan. A central component is the introduction of a new training regulation, which fundamentally changes the structure of medical training. The initiative aims to increase the attractiveness of further training in the field of pediatrics and to ensure sustainable outpatient pediatric care.

With the Pediatric Continuing Education Association Northwest, those involved have forged a strong network that is intended to meet the needs of both doctors and young patients. It remains to be hoped that these future-oriented measures will bear fruit and raise medical care for the little ones in Lower Saxony to a new level.