Pregnancy/maternity protection
In addition to studying, pregnancy and caring for a child or perhaps even several children is an additional challenge. In order to cope with this new life situation in the best possible way, comprehensive information on the existing support options with regard to study organization, financing and childcare and, if necessary, further advice are particularly important.
As usual, your contact persons regarding the organization of your studies are your year supervisors, the course coordinators, the lecturers and the Student Office.
Information and contacts for advice on the topic of "Studying with a child" can be found under Services and Advice for Students and on the pages of the Equal Opportunities Office.
We rely on your support and cooperation so that we can fulfill our obligations under the Maternity Protection Act. In order to keep the effort as manageable as possible for you and to offer you the best possible planning, we have prepared the checklist below for you, which we ask you to complete, sign and send to the Student Office by e-mail after going through the individual steps.
During pregnancy and in the subsequent period in which employees would be entitled to parental leave, students have the option of interrupting their studies and taking a leave of absence. This is intended to allow students to fully adjust to their new life situation and, if necessary, to compensate for a short-term loss of childcare.
As no coursework may be completed during the academic leave, it is advisable to coordinate the timing and duration of the academic leave with the year supervisor or the degree program coordinator. The health of mother and child should of course be the focus of the consultation, but other concerns such as student financing and possible extensions of study time should not be disregarded.
All information on applying for an academic leave of absence and the documents to be submitted can be found on the Student Office website. If you have any questions in this regard, the staff at the Student Office will be happy to help you by email, telephone or during office hours.
Since January 1, 2018, the new Maternity Protection Act (MuSchG) has also applied to students. The aim of the law is to ensure the best possible health protection for pregnant and breastfeeding women, while still giving them the opportunity to continue their studies in a self-determined manner.
At Hannover Medical School, contact with patients as well as the handling of chemicals, hazardous substances and X-ray technology are part of the training. Against this background, the protection of expectant and breastfeeding mothers while continuing their studies is a particularly important issue in the organization of studies.
In this context, as with employees, the MHH is obliged, in addition to a general risk assessment, to take into account individual hazards in the context of the studies of expectant and nursing mothers and, if necessary, to take protective measures. The individual risk assessments are carried out by the respective teaching supervisors.
Furthermore, if MHH becomes aware of a pregnancy or breastfeeding, it is obliged to report the pregnancy/breastfeeding to the trade supervisory office. This in no way represents an impairment of the pregnant/breastfeeding students, but is intended to contribute to their protection.
Advice on the legal rights and options available to pregnant/breastfeeding students under the Maternity Protection Act can be obtained from the Student Office and the MHH Equal Opportunities Office .
Students who are (or will be) in their Practical Year during their pregnancy or breastfeeding period should contact the PJ office directly for a mandatory initial consultation in order to coordinate the further course of their studies. The checklist below does not apply to students in their practical year.
Please also clarify with the PJ Office whether a consultation with our Occupational Health Service is advisable for you or whether you should contact the company physician at your teaching hospital if necessary.
Of course, you can also take advantage of the advice offered by the Equal Opportunities Office.
You can find the procedure for reporting your pregnancy under the following link:
Hannover Medical School : Pregnancy and maternity protection (mhh.de)
The Equal Opportunities Office provides comprehensive information material for (expectant) parents during their studies. These welcome bags can be collected from the Student Office during office hours.
Checklist for risk assessment during pregnancy and breastfeeding during studies
This checklist will help you with the further planning of your course of study.