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Electives in the clinical section of the program 

In accordance with §2(8) Medical Licensing Regulations, all students must take an elective course during their clinical study section until they register for their practical year.

The Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine currently offers four electives: 

  • Case presentations 

    The case presentations aim to provide students and physicians with ongoing training. The aim is to familiarize students with common clinical pictures, sharpen their awareness of "red flags", and deepen their knowledge of rare clinical pictures and complications. They practice presenting case studies, expand their knowledge of diagnostics, and gain insight into medical practice from symptoms to treatment.

  • Journal club

    Critical and informed analysis of scientific studies is a basic skill that will be further developed in this elective course. The questions we will address in this elective course are as follows: How can you recognize a high-quality study? How should study results be reported? How should they be interpreted? What does this mean for clinical practice?

Formalities for case presentations and the journal club:

Number of participants: A maximum of 10 students can participate per elective course and semester.
Proof of attendance: Registered and admitted students will receive a checklist on which they can have their participation in the courses certified.

How can you participate in the elective course Case Presentation and Journal Club?

Interested parties should register by October 1 or April 1 at the latest by sending an email to the teaching office. 

  • General pediatrics

    This elective aims to give interested students a deeper understanding of general pediatrics. Specifically, it covers the following topics.
    By the end of the elective:
    • Students are familiar with the most common differential diagnoses of the most common key symptoms in everyday clinical practice;
    • Students are able to recognize signs of a critically ill newborn, child, or adolescent and know what initial measures need to be taken;
    • Students know the most common rheumatic diseases/the rheumatological work-up;
    • Students can name the most important metabolic disorders and know how they are diagnosed;
    • Students know which aids they can use in everyday ward life and how to use them;
    • Students are familiar with pitfalls in Lufu, ECG, blood sampling, and prick tests in a pediatric context;
    • Students are aware of the particularities of communicating with parents, children, and adolescents;
    • Students are familiar with the procedure of a structured ward round;
    • Students have mastered the basics of scientific work in a pediatric context;
    • Students can distinguish between primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention and can they name typical examples;
    • Students are familiar with the most important formal and content-related criteria for a doctor's letter;
    • Students are familiar with the fundamentals of ethical decisions in the field of pediatrics and adolescent medicine; students are familiar with the important fundamentals of interprofessional collaboration and communication.

  • Pediatric emergency medicine

    The aim of this elective course is to provide interested students with in-depth knowledge in the field of pediatric emergency medicine. Specifically, the following content is taught.
    At the end of the elective course:
    • Students will be able to recognize the signs of a critically ill newborn, child, or adolescent;
    • Students will know which resources to use in pediatric emergency situations and how to use them;
    • Students will be able to recognize the need for life-saving measures and take them;
    • Students will be able to recognize the following emergencies and treat them appropriately;
    • Respiratory problems, respiratory insufficiency;
    • Circulatory insufficiency, arrhythmias;
    • Neurological emergencies;
    • Metabolic/endocrinological emergencies;
    • Trauma/accidents, etc;
    • Students know how to treat burns, chemical burns, and poisoning in children and adolescents, and where to go for further information;
    • Students understand the importance and components of crisis resource management: teamwork and team communication in emergencies;
    • Students understand the pitfalls of communicating with patients and parents in emergencies.

Formalities for the elective courses General Pediatrics and Pediatric Emergency Medicine:

Number of participants: A maximum of 20 students can participate per elective course and term.
Proof of attendance: Certificate of participation in the elective course (content and scope, including grade) 

Examination format: Oral-practical examination at the end of the elective course; the elective course is graded.

Special features of the elective courses General Pediatrics and Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Both electives were developed together with medical students as part of a Students as Partners (SaP) approach. Students are involved in the design of the electives, from the content and didactic structure to peer teaching. The electives are continuously evaluated through our SaP project, adapted to the wishes of the students, and implemented with new didactic concepts. Our common goal for our elective courses is that they should be inclusive, dynamic, practical, interprofessional, cooperative, interesting, innovative, and in-depth. If you would also like to become part of the SaP team, you can find all the information about our SaP project here. 

How can you participate in the elective course General Pediatrics and Pediatric Emergency Medicine?

The requirements for participation in elective courses are:

  • The first clinical year must already have been completed
  • Participation in the pediatric clinic's continuing education series (2 events) per elective subject is mandatory. The following continuing education events will take place in the 2025 winter term: 

Wednesday, December 10, 2025, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Topic: Preservation of evidence in a clinical-forensic context; HS IV Baldingerstraße.

Wednesday, January 28, 2026, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Topic: Cardiac imaging for congenital heart defects, HSIV Baldingerstraße.

When do the elective courses take place?

The elective courses are held as a block (one week, Mon-Fri) immediately after the semester (“retake week”). Elective courses are offered once a year. The elective course in general pediatrics takes place after the winter semester, and the elective course in pediatric emergency medicine takes place after the summer term. We will publish the exact dates on these pages in good time. 

The General Pediatrics course in the 2025 winter term will take place from February 23, 2026, to February 27, 2026. 

Interested students should register by October 15 for the elective course in general pediatrics and by March 15 for the elective course in pediatric emergency medicine by sending an email to Ms. Huber at hubers@staff.uni-marburg.de. 

Crediting of the elective course

All organizational information about the elective course provided by the Dean's Office can be found on the department's website. (GER)

The following information must be included: 

  • Title of elective course
  • Name
  • Student ID number
  • Date of birth

If you have any questions, please contact the teaching office of the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

Ms. Sophia J. Huber: hubers@staff.uni-marburg.de  
Ms. Yuliia Vereshchahina: vereshcy@staff.uni-marburg.de        
Tel: 06421-58-66227

Please use your student email address.