NRW cracks 1,000! Medical students enrolled in rural doctor quota

NRW cracks 1,000! Medical students enrolled in rural doctor quota

The enrollment phase for the winter semester 2025/2026 is in full swing, and there are several reasons to be happy for medical students in North Rhine-Westphalia. This is how the 1,000th one turned out. Person enrolled to study medicine at a university in North Rhine-Westphalia as part of the rural doctor quota. This means that NRW is the first federal state to exceed the mark of 1,000 prospective doctors who commit to working in underserved regions for at least ten years. State of North Rhine-Westphalia reports that a total of 951 people are currently enrolled in these special study places.

The rural doctor quota was introduced in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2019 and is intended to help counteract the shortage of doctors in rural areas. Loud WDR 160 additional students were recently selected in the 13th selection process for the rural doctor quota. Around 190 study places are allocated each year, with 160 in the winter semester and 30 in the summer semester.

A step in the right direction

The rural doctor quota has not only proven to be useful, but also necessary, especially given the alarming distribution of medical practices in North Rhine-Westphalia. While 56 percent of medical practices are found in urban areas, only 4 percent are in rural areas. This unequal distribution has highlighted the need for such programs as the rural doctor quota. The first students in this quota are expected to complete their studies in winter 2025, and from 2026 they want to enter primary care.

Inga Sellmann, a 25-year-old medical student, is a good example of what the country doctor quota can achieve. After graduating from high school with an average of 1.6, which was not enough to study medicine, she took the step in 2019 and successfully applied for a place in medicine at the University of Essen. Their desire to live in the countryside and build long-term relationships with patients shows the social aspect of the initiative. She is convinced that the rural doctor quota is an opportunity for many who want to realize their dreams. Contact with patients in hospital is often too short, and she is aiming for a career in general medicine or paediatrics.

More medical study places on the horizon

In order to meet the growing demand, further measures were taken in North Rhine-Westphalia. The General Practitioner Action Program (HAP) promotes the establishment of general practitioners, the establishment of teaching practices and further training. By 2025, over 2.5 million euros will be made available to create additional offers in communities with up to 25,000 inhabitants. The OWL medical faculty at Bielefeld University is also responding to the trend and creating 60 additional medical study places. The planned final expansion for 2026/2027 should include 300 study places. In addition, the private University of Witten/Herdecke has doubled its study places to 168 with the support of the state.

The change in the healthcare system is in full swing, and the rural doctor quota and the supporting programs are an important step in the right direction to ensure medical care in rural areas. It will be exciting to see how the situation will develop in the coming years.