I live in Sweden and am a non EU medical graduate. It has been over 2 years and I still haven´t completed the long painful procedure to get a specialisation here. If your degree is from an EU country, it will be relatively easier. You have to learn the language(takes a year normally -but 6 months if you do intensive courses costing about 500 euro per month). If you have a non EU degree you have to pass the C1 exam(advanced swedish exam)- Tisus or SAS B. If your degree is from an EU country you do not require a language test. In both cases you apply to the Socialstyrelsen(national board for health and welfare). Non EU students then have to give medical exams in Swedish known as TULE prov (Surgery, Medicine, Peds,Gyn, Psych) which are written and practical tests. The tests are not hard per se but it being in a new language makes it hard. Also, they are very strict when correcting papers and have negative marking, which makes passing all subjects in one attempt almost impossible. Most students take the exam 2-3 times. U are allowed to take the exam max 3 times. The exams take place twice a year(Feb and Sep). It will take you at least 6 months to study for the test and maybe a year to clear it(assuming you appear 2ce). I passed all 4 written subjects and practicals and needed to clear 1 paper-surgery- in my 3rd attempt and though i was sure to pass, when i got my results i didn´t pass. Marking is super strict. I now have the only option of trying for a 1 year completion course by KI (kompletterande utbildning för läkare). If you want to skip TULE, u can alternatively try this course but they take only 20 students per year, why most people choose TULE.
Speciality in Sweden takes 5 years (and you do NOT get a degree at the end and neither do you have an exam) and if you are a non EU doctor u have to do 2 years internship before getting a residency spot(even if you have already done it before). I think Germany is much more direct. Non EU students learn the language and may or may not have exams, depending on your degree. It is a faster and more direct process and info is much more easily available than in Sweden. I wish i tried there first!!
However, if u are an EU graduate it is quite direct in Sweden, though you may have to wait long if you want to stay in Stockholm(up to a year or more). The job market for doctors is very saturated and it is not easy to get a job. However you can get a residency in small hospital in remote towns in Sweden which may be very quiet and boring but if you are focused on getting your speciality it´s not an issue. Sweden´s health system is also not as good as other countries and treatment not up to the mark. Doctors do NOT have very good knowledge.
I am not being biased or against the system here, but this is all what I have gone through and it is the same for all foreign doctors here.
Good luck and wish you all the best.
Hope this info can be of value for anyone else thinking of specialising in Sweden.
