“All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and therefore as a free man, I take pride in the words: Ich bin ein Berliner.” (John F. Kennedy 1963)
Author of the blog: Nicole Lallini, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is an exciting city: Berlin was divided and is now re-joined; Berlin is grey but also colourful; Berlin is traditional but also modern. We could probably go on like this indefinitely – and that is exactly what makes Berlin so special and interesting.
Berlin is the capital of Germany with currently 3.6 million inhabitants. The city is an energetic and lively metropolis which is constantly changing. Germany’s history is always present in Berlin because the Berlin Wall divided Berlin for many years into East and West Berlin – symbolizing the political powers of the cold war. Historical sites exist not only on the streets of the city (Eastside Gallery, Memorial Church), but there are also numerous museums and art works presenting the country’s culture and history. Berlin has its very own flair: each district is different and has its own little city in the middle of Berlin. For example, Friedrichshain is the students’ district, Kreuzberg has a lively bar and cultural scene, Charlottenburg symbolizes the old West Berlin, and Mitte is known for famous sights including the Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin TV Tower, the Bundestag, Tiergarten or the Museum Island. Berlin is a multicultural city where people from all over the world live together. Berlin can also score with a lot of nature in the city and especially around the city. In no time, you can leave the city and relax in the forest or at the lake. Education is not neglected either in Berlin – four Berlin universities have joined forces to form the Berlin University Alliance: Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, and the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin.
Charité and the Institute of Health and Nursing Science
Originally founded as a plague house outside of Berlin in 1710, the Charité can look back on more than 300 years of history. Nowadays, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin has clinics on four campuses and, with 3,001 beds, is one of the largest university hospitals in Europe. Research, teaching and patient care are closely interlinked. At the medical faculty, which is one of the largest in Germany, more than 8,600 students are trained in human medicine, dentistry as well as health sciences. In addition, there are 577 training places in 10 health professions (Text and image © Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin).
The Institute of Health and Nursing Science is one of Charité’s university institution and was founded in 1963. Since 2012 Univ.-Prof. Dr. Michael Ewers is the Director of the Institute. Students are able to study Health Sciences (B.Sc.) and Health Professions Education (M.Sc.) at the Institute. Educating the next generation of researchers and teachers in health and nursing sciences and promoting the development of the disciplines in Germany are the institute’s priority objectives. In particular, the Master’s program in Health Professions Education focuses on internationalisation, flexibility, interprofessionalism, research and practical study phases (Text © Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin). For more information visit: https://igpw.charite.de/en/about_the_institute/.
Student life
Students studying at the Institute of Health and Nursing Science enjoy various benefits and discounts within Berlin. For example, they can use the public transport with their student ID and eat at reduced prices in the canteens of Charité’s various campuses. In addition, students receive reduced entrance fees to some of the city’s numerous museums (Museum Island, Museum of Medical History). Charité has also its very own Band “Die Echten Ärzte” (the real doctors) and a choir “Die Singing Shrinks” consisting of psychiatrists and neurologists – both are worth a listen. You can also demonstrate your linguistic and scientific skills at the Charité Science Slam. As you can see, Berlin and the Charité have a lot to offer. (Image:Student life at Charité, Pictures © Wiebke Peitz /Charité.)
We welcome you to come and study in Berlin and join John F. Kennedy (1963) by stating:
“Ich bin ein Berliner”.
