Physicians at Thieme

Jochen Neuberger, MD, Executive Editor

Jochen Neuberger

"As a physician at Thieme...

I use my knowledge to help tailor our offerings specifically to the needs of medical students and physicians." 

Jochen Neuberger, MD - A physician with an eye on the user

Jochen Neuberger worked for the editorial department of a publishing house during his medical studies and discovered his passion for preparing medical content in a way that doctors actually need in their daily clinical work. After obtaining his full medical license, he initially worked as a training assistant at the Neurology Clinic of the Erlangen University Hospital before joining Thieme in 1997 as a specialist editor for the "Checklists" series. Since then, his scope of activities and responsibilities has steadily expanded. In the meantime, he is responsible for part of the book program at Thieme as a program planner. We asked Dr. Neuberger why he works as a physician at Thieme.

Mr. Neuberger, you studied medicine. What was your career goal at the beginning of your studies?

Jochen Neuberger, MD: I actually wanted to become a curative physician, otherwise I would not have started my studies. I don't come from a family of doctors and had no direct contact with that, but only the conviction for me: This is a beautiful and interesting profession. And it is! Neurology, for example, still fascinates me. It is one of the most exciting medical specialties for me.

When and why did you start thinking about career alternatives?

Neuberger: I started thinking about what other fields of activity there were besides clinical work while I was still a student. At that time there was a "glut of doctors" and it was quite normal to look for alternatives as a medical student. For example, I flirted with publishing at an early stage. There were always offers of part-time jobs from various publishers on display in the lecture hall, and one day I applied. As a freelancer, I worked for a publishing house on the structured preparation of clinical pictures, such as the definition, description and diagnosis of stroke. That was a lot of fun!

But you continued your medical studies ...

Neuberger: I really wanted to get my full medical license and actually complete my professional training. I didn't know whether a long-term alternative outside of curative medicine would actually work out. That's why I first did my AiP and worked as an assistant physician. However, the situation in the clinic then forced my decision to change completely. I kept thinking: do I really want to do this for the next few years? Are there perhaps things I enjoy more?

In this situation, I discovered an ad from Thieme in the Ärzteblatt. It seemed to be made for me. They were looking for someone for the editorial department: "You edit medical content, supervise projects, authors* and make them ready for the market." I immediately sent out an application.

How did you find your start at Thieme and what did you do in the early days?

Neuberger: At the end of 1997, I started as a specialist editor and project manager for the "Checklists" book series. The position was a dream come true for me: as a physician who brought practical knowledge from the clinic, I was allowed to work with content that was familiar to me and prepare it in such a way that physicians could optimally work with it on the ward - that was great! As a young doctor at the "front", I had experienced directly what the books I had worked with did not contain. The "checklists" are pure medicine - they are not textbooks, where you move as an editor with didactic distance and think about how this knowledge can be best conveyed and learned, but it is about the concrete application situation in the clinic. It was important to the entire team and to me that we prepare the content in such a way that it meets the concrete requirements of young doctors in particular. We wanted to convey precisely the information that is relevant at the beginning of a medical career. I think we've done that very well with the "checklists". They function like an experienced senior physician in your coat pocket, telling you what you should and shouldn't do.

What professional stations have you passed through at Thieme since then?

Neuberger: I spent three years as an editor for the "Checklists" and in the early 2000s had the chance to take on program planning responsibility. This meant that, in addition to the "Checklists," I was also responsible for the "Dual Series" as a program planner. Later, clinical textbooks were added, especially the short and pocket textbooks. Recently, I have also been responsible for the PROMETHEUS. I have gradually grown into program planning and the associated management responsibility.

What do you do at Thieme today? What are your tasks?

Neuberger: If I have to explain to someone what I do at Thieme, I usually say: I have so-called program planning responsibility for part of the media package that Thieme has in its program for medical students and young doctors. The term media is used because it is no longer just about books. But whether print or electronic, the offerings must be as tailored as possible to the requirements of the user - for this, you have to develop appropriate concepts and also adapt them again and again. But program planning also means organizing the whole thing as far as possible so that the offerings are on the market on time, within the planned budget limits, and with the desired results. The mixture of content-related work - above all the development of a didactic concept - and economic responsibility is exciting.

In a hospital, you look after patients sometimes for a day, sometimes for ten days, until they are discharged. When you go home in the evening, you know that they are in good hands with their colleagues. At Thieme, the relationship with the books is much more long-term - which, including new editions, can easily be decades.

What have been your personal highlights at Thieme so far?

Neuberger: Working on the "Neurology Checklist" was an absolute highlight for me: I was on the road in my favorite subject. I was able to realize the book with former clinic friends and colleagues and also worked as an author myself. In addition, the title was and is very successful - which is of course all the more pleasing!

The expansion of the "Dual Series" for preclinical studies is also one of my personal highlights. The series started with a focus on clinical subjects and we wanted to transfer the successful concept to preclinical studies as well. We succeeded in doing that. Actually, any project that is well received because it helps students and young doctors in their training or in everyday clinical practice is a highlight for me.

The great thing is that these are always team successes. You can't do that alone. I think Thieme has a very good, appreciative culture. I have been very fortunate to have really wonderful people as supervisors and colleagues, with whom I have had numerous interesting, pleasant and formative encounters. But these are not only within the publishing house, but also with our authors, for example. Getting to know them and being able to work successfully with them on joint projects is something I find very enriching.

What do you particularly like about your work at Thieme?

Neuberger: I appreciate the team spirit in our department - we pull together. And I am very convinced of the clear target group orientation and the high quality standards we set for all the products that are created here. We have the claim that what we publish really helps - our customers should be able to rely on Thieme.

What I also like about my work is that it is always changing: Digital change drives us, and that's a good thing. We have to reinvent ourselves again and again in order to continue to meet the changing requirements of medical students and young doctors in the best possible way. It's like a long run with sprints in between - and that's fun.

Do you miss the clinic and the patients?

Neuberger: No. Whenever I visit authors in the clinic or talk to friends about their daily work, I think that this is no longer my world. The only thing I really miss from time to time is the "hands on", the hands-on aspect of being a doctor. Of course, my work here is already very "desk-based". But I don't really miss that. Here at the publishing house, I'm very free. Of course we have procedures and processes that have to be adhered to, but on the whole I can organize my day and my work in a way that I think makes sense and is purposeful.

The interview was conducted by Bettina Ziegler

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