The perfect connection

Philine Köln has already wanted to work as a doctor for half her life – and not just because she comes from a medical family. She got the idea after she was very ill as a child and had to spend a lot of time in hospital. “That was a difficult time, but I was on a ward with well-qualified, kind doctors and great nursing staff. Thanks to them, I have a very positive memory of that time. It awakened a desire in me to follow in their footsteps one day.”

Today, Philine Köln is very close to realising that goal. The young Berliner is 24 years old and is just finishing her studies at the Charité. To her, medicine is simply the perfect combination of natural sciences and a big social component, in which there’s no real routine and it’s never boring. At present, she works in the Internal Medicine department of the clinic in Urban, in the middle of Berlin-Kreuzberg, and is completing part of her practical year there.

The thing Philine Köln appreciates about the model study program at the Charité is that it breaks with the old patterns – first theory, then practice – and instead already links the basics to the practice at the clinic. „The thought of first having to dryly study all the natural sciences for two years after leaving school didn’t strike me as being particularly enticing,” relates Philine Köln. “At the Charité, right from the start, I had the opportunity to be present when patients were being treated. I like this extremely close, continuous connection with what will now be my everyday work during my practical year, and of course even more so after graduating from my studies. Apart from that, it also gave me a sense of certainty much earlier on that I had made the right decision in my choice of studies.” And sitting opposite Philine Köln, you immediately get the feeling that that decision was the right one.

She recently worked in Medellín for several months. She explains that the technical facilities in this hospital in the heart of Columbia hardly differ from those in Germany. 

“Although the interaction within the team was different, with flat hierarchies and a family atmosphere,” as she sums up her experience there, “You could talk to the professors and experienced doctors at any time with no problem.” She says that she benefited a great deal from that openness and the kindly feedback and was able to learn an incredible amount during that time.

In a few months, Philine Köln wants to complete her studies. Listening to what she has to say, it’s clear that she will continue to be guided by her empathy for patients and her fascination for the transformation occurring in medicine. “Ten years ago, many things that are a matter of course today weren’t even possible yet,” she explains.