The pharmacy practical year lasts twelve months, and your health insurance during this time depends on your enrolment and your contract. If you remain enrolled at the university, compulsory student insurance applies until the end of the semester in which you turn 30. In psychology, the route into psychotherapy runs through a five-year degree with licensure and a subsequent further training, whose status is set by the further training contract.
Key points in brief
- The pharmacy practical year begins after the Second Section of the Pharmaceutical Examination and lasts twelve months. Six months are spent in a public pharmacy and six in an area of your choice.
- The training regulations do not govern insurance status or pay during the pharmacy practical year. Check with your health insurer before you start, with the contract in hand.
- The psychotherapy degree takes five years of full-time study (300 ECTS points), split into a bachelor’s and a master’s. Licensure is required before you may use the professional title.
- Status and pay in psychotherapy further training are a matter for the states and the chambers. If an employment contract is behind it, the rules for employees apply.
- During the degree itself, the same rules apply in both subjects: compulsory insurance up to age 30, family cover up to age 25 with income of no more than €565 per month.
What does the timeline look like for both routes?
| Route | Stage | What applies to insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Pharmacy | Studies up to the Second Section of the Pharmaceutical Examination | Compulsory student insurance or family cover |
| Pharmacy | Practical year (twelve months, full-time) | Clarify with the health insurer based on the contract |
| Psychology | Bachelor’s and master’s (five years full-time in total, 300 ECTS) | Compulsory student insurance or family cover |
| Psychology | Practical placements: 570 hours in the bachelor’s, 750 hours in the master’s | General study rules, details in the guide on the placement |
| Psychotherapy | Further training after licensure | Depends on the contract, employee rules if employed |
How is the pharmacy practical year structured?
The practical training takes place after the Second Section of the Pharmaceutical Examination. It is split into six months in a public pharmacy, not a branch pharmacy, and six months in a choice of settings: a pharmacy, a hospital or Bundeswehr pharmacy, the pharmaceutical industry, a university institute, another suitable scientific institution, or a drug testing authority. That makes twelve months, full-time. Accompanying lessons are compulsory (§ 4 AAppO). In everyday usage, this phase is also called “Pharmazeut im Praktikum” (pharmacist in training).
Does student insurance apply during the practical year, and are you then an employee?
Neither can be answered in general terms. The training regulations govern neither status nor insurance obligation during the practical year. What matters is your enrolment and the contract with the training placement. If you remain enrolled, compulsory student insurance applies, as long as no prior insurance exists, for example as an employee or as a family member. If you are employed by the training placement, you are compulsorily insured under statutory health insurance, as long as your salary is below the annual earnings threshold of €77,400 (2026 figure).
So take the contract to your health insurer and have them confirm in writing how they classify you. You only calculate with the 2026 student contribution (€87.38 base contribution plus additional contribution plus long-term care insurance) as long as you stay in compulsory student insurance. The parallel with medical studies is explained in the guide Medical studies: electives, practical year and health insurance (in German).
How does the route into psychotherapy work?
Anyone who wants to practise psychotherapy under the professional title of psychotherapist needs licensure (§ 1 para. 1 PsychThG). Under the new Psychotherapists Act, the route runs through a full-time five-year degree (300 ECTS points), split into a bachelor’s and a master’s programme. The practical placements comprise 19 ECTS points (570 hours) in the bachelor’s and 25 ECTS points (750 hours) in the master’s. The statutory text is in § 9 PsychThG.
The general rules for health insurance apply during the degree. A compulsory interim internship makes you an employee who is exempt from social insurance, regardless of duration, weekly hours or earnings. Compulsory student insurance remains possible in that case. Anyone performing an activity without pay that the study regulations require is compulsorily insured under § 5 para. 1 no. 10 SGB V, up to age 30 at most, and the student obligation takes precedence. More is in the guide Health insurance during an internship (in German).
How are you insured as a psychotherapist in further training?
The Psychotherapists Act does not govern pay during further training, which is state law set by the chambers. Status, pay and insurance obligation therefore follow from your further training contract and the rules of your chamber. If the further training is combined with an employment contract, you are an employee and compulsorily insured under statutory health insurance with an annual salary below €77,400 (2026 figure). Have the provider confirm your status before you start the further training.
As a patient, different rules apply. In statutory health insurance, the psychotherapeutic consultation is the entry point, and the 116117 service centre arranges appointments. For acute treatment, and for short-term and long-term therapy, there are caps for each form of therapy. Details are in the guide Private health insurance and psychotherapy: what is covered (in German). If your studies are weighing on you, mental health during your studies (in German) offers help.
Which rules apply during the degree in both subjects?
At a state or state-recognised university, you are compulsorily insured until the end of the semester in which you turn 30. Alternatively, you are covered as a family member through a parent up to age 25, if your total income in 2026 is no more than €565 per month. For mini-jobs, the limit is €603. BAföG and child benefit do not count as income.
| Rule | Value 2026 |
|---|---|
| Compulsory insurance base contribution | €87.38 (10.22 percent of €855) |
| Long-term care insurance, childless from age 23 | €35.91 |
| Family cover, income limit | €565 per month |
| Working student, working hours | No more than 20 hours per week in continuous employment |
The guide Health insurance for students (in German) compares all options. An overview is provided by the Consumer Advice Centre.
Do you need professional liability insurance as a trainee pharmacist or psychotherapist?
For placements during your studies, the practical year and further training, first clarify whether the pharmacy, practice or clinic insures you through its own liability cover. Have this confirmed in writing. Through your parents’ personal liability insurance, you are usually co-insured, as long as you are unmarried and studying. That depends on the policy and can end with a late master’s degree or with permanent employment. Whether the policy covers activities in a pharmacy or practice is set out in its terms. When you need your own professional liability insurance from the start of your career is something to clarify with your employer and your chamber.
What changes with licensure and career entry?
Student insurance does not end with your final examination, but with the semester of your last enrolment or re-enrolment. After membership ends, benefit claims continue for at most one month. If you move into employment, you are compulsorily insured as an employee, as long as your salary is below the annual earnings threshold of €77,400. If you are self-employed, you insure yourself voluntarily under statutory or private insurance, and student insurance does not apply to full-time self-employment. The criteria for starting a career are summarised in the guide Private health insurance when starting your career (in German).
Frequently asked questions
How am I insured during the pharmacy practical year?
That depends on your enrolment and your contract. The training regulations do not govern insurance status. If you remain enrolled and have no other cover, compulsory student insurance applies. If you are employed as an employee, you are compulsorily insured under statutory health insurance. Have your health insurer confirm your status.
Is a pharmacist in training an employee?
Whether the practical year takes place in an employment relationship is stated in your contract with the training placement. The training regulations do not say. Take the contract to the health insurer and ask how it classifies you before the practical year begins. Their decision determines whether student insurance continues or compulsory insurance as an employee applies.
How am I insured as a psychotherapist in further training?
That depends on your further training contract and the law of your chamber, because the law does not govern pay. In an employment relationship, you are an employee and compulsorily insured under statutory health insurance with an annual salary below €77,400 (2026 figure). Clarify your status with the provider before you start.
Does student insurance apply during the practical year?
As long as you are enrolled and no prior insurance applies, yes. Whether your practical year contract triggers prior insurance is for your health insurer to clarify. The age limit of 30 applies until the end of the semester in which you turn 30.
Do I need professional liability insurance as a trainee pharmacist or psychotherapist?
Ask the training placement and your chamber what they cover for you, and get the answer in writing. Your private liability insurance is an additional safety net, and whether it covers professional activities is set out in its terms. At career entry, it depends on the employer.
What to do now
- Before the practical year or further training, get the contract and ask your health insurer how it classifies you.
- Keep the age limit of 30 for student insurance and the income limit of €565 for family cover in view.
- Ask the training placement or chamber about liability insurance for your activities, and get written confirmation of co-insurance through your parents.
- Plan the transition from studies to career before your final re-enrolment.
If you want to talk through your situation, you will find the route to advice on the Academycon homepage.
You can find reviews of us on ProvenExpert, Trustlocal and Trustindex.
Related articles
- Medical studies: electives, practical year and health insurance (in German)
- Private health insurance and psychotherapy: what is covered? (in German)
- Mental health during your studies: staying stable (in German)
- Practical year allowance: amount by federal state (in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
