Practicing in Switzerland

[kojack]

Hi, a friend of mine was telling me about a program she had heard about where the Swiss government is recruiting young, married doctors to practice in their country, probably in the hopes that they will stay there and raise a family. Unfortunately, she didn't know many details, but it sounds interesting.

Anyone heard of this? Or know where I can find out more information about this program or other similar ones?

Thanks

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[Miklos]

For background see http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=511&sid=1673228

I couldn't find any other English language docs after a quick cursory search.

Regardless, one needs language skills; in this case German, French or Italian.

 

[stwei]

seems to me that there is a discrepancy in the number of interested medical school applicants and the number of doctors required -

see

http://www.advd.unibe.ch/imd/Medizininfo_e.htm

 

[Daniel vD]

Originally posted by stwei
seems to me that there is a discrepancy in the number of interested medical school applicants and the number of doctors required -

see

http://www.advd.unibe.ch/imd/Medizininfo_e.htm

His question isn't about studying medicine in Switzerland, but about working there.

So the link you gave is useless.

 

[cbcgingko]

Hi everyone,

I am a fourth year America medical student and I'm interested in practicing medicine in Geneva Switzerland, or France after an American residency.

I'm applying for either Emergency Medicine (3 or 4 years), Internal Medicine or combination EM/IM (5 years), my list is due Feb 25th!

My husband is French and I would have EU Community rights being his wife.

1) Best speciality: I want to practice in Geneva or France and I am having trouble picking my speciality. I heard EM is not recognized in France or Geneva as a speciality yet. If this is true, I was considering the EM/IM 5 year program or just IM. Any suggestions? Would I have to repeat any residency in Geneva?

2) Getting my American training recognized: I read in previous posts that foreign docs go through the UK to have their training recognized, then onto other EU countries. Is this the easiest path? I am considering the UK and Ireland to get EU equivalence because I do not speak French yet (I'm going to France this summer to start learning). Which country is easier to get my training recognized and start practicing? France or Swizterland?

3) Timing: I am trying to figure out the best time in my training to move to Geneva. I read if I go through the UK, I can do my first year residency (Intern year) in America then apply to the UK, I assume this is only for internal medicine. What are the benefits of doing this over finishing all 3 years of American Internal Medicine training? Or doing a fellowship in America then moving to France or Swizterland?

Thank you for any help you can provide!

 

[Marsupilami]

Hi cbcginko,

just a few thoughts...going the UK/Ireland route just for getting recognized doesn't seem to make much sense imho if you ultimately want to end up in France / Switzerland. Residencies in the British system can be incredibly long, the continental European education is in some respects much more similar to that of the US than the British system.
Regarding EM...the UK has A&E as a specialty, I don't know how similar that is to EM, but I know for a fact that EM does not exist in Switzerland and in most other EU countries, future employers will not know what to do with you as this field is usually covered by internists, anesthesiologists, surgeons.

 

[Vikkie]

Hello,

I have the same question. I have a MBBS degree from Pakistan and I have swiss resident permit. What steps do I need to take to get into practising medicine in Swiss. I understand there is a language barrier, but other than that, what is best and shortest possible way?

 

[slight365]

The language barrier is actually bigger than it sounds on the surface. If you're looking at a German-speaking Canton, you will obviously need German, BUT there is an additional barrier in the dialect of German they speak (Schweizer Deutsch). It's so different and harsh that even native German speakers have much difficulty understanding it. Sometimes people are able to speak Hochdeutsch, but there is still a heavy accent. The next problem is you will only be able to learn Hochdeutsch in language schools.

And if you want to practice, the shortest and most direct way is to go to the source of the info and licensing. If they're in Canton ZH, then you might be lucky and get an English speaker.

 

[harisonu2003]

I am currently finishing my internal medicine residency in midwest and like to move to switzerland. Appreciate any information of finding a job either in hospitals or clinics. Dont speak any european language, other than English.

 

[211498]

I am currently finishing my internal medicine residency in midwest and like to move to switzerland. Appreciate any information of finding a job either in hospitals or clinics. Dont speak any european language, other than English.

Well, then start with learning either German or French.

 

[SHAI5KUM]

am a GP. and done alot of research on where i can do my residency in switzerland. it must be a university hospital. please can anyone direct me to which hospital in either zurich or geneve that accepts foreign students to do residency program in either plastic surgery or dermatology. thanks

 

[stud247]

hey would it be difficult to get a job in switzerland if you are residency trained in usa and do not have any residency permit in switzerland? do they even recognize foreign residency training? how about if you decide to apply for a fellowship in switzerland and then stay there to work? let's say you speak german but not fluently. thanks.

 

[slight365]

How do you expect to do your job if you're not fluent?

 

[JanikeyDoc]

Hi, a friend of mine was telling me about a program she had heard about where the Swiss government is recruiting young, married doctors to practice in their country, probably in the hopes that they will stay there and raise a family. Unfortunately, she didn't know many details, but it sounds interesting.

Anyone heard of this? Or know where I can find out more information about this program or other similar ones?

Thanks

Switzerland generally only takes doctors from EU countries, usually from Germany, otherwise its one of harshest countries to immigrate to, generally only for the ultra rich.

 

[v1ss1]

What about working in the canton of Ticino where Italian is the official language? What would the requirements be to be licesned there?

 

[santoshachwani]

Hello,

I have the same question. I have a MBBS degree from Pakistan and I have swiss resident permit. What steps do I need to take to get into practising medicine in Swiss. I understand there is a language barrier, but other than that, what is best and shortest possible way?

hiya dear .. may i ask you a bit of help.. i am graduated from seychelles. and i am an indian citizen.. can you help me a litle bit about how to get the cardiothoracic surgical residency in switzerland.... i have also started learning a bit of german now.... i have joined a class for the same ... and expect to see my self studying the mentioned subject in switzerland... can you please tell me what are the basic requirements... and a bit of other details .. you can mail me for the same on [email protected] .. .. or gimme ur cell number / email address.... i call you up for the same atleast once.. if you are interested in helping me out... and please mention the time when you r free .. coz i dont want to call and bug anyone agian and again .. ill just call once... thanks a lot .. Dr Santosh ...

I also wanna know .. how to get the swiss work permit ?? is it easy ?? what are the procedures ???

 

[slight365]

That's strange; you're looking to go to Spain, and now Switzerland, and supposedly learning German. You realize that Switzerland had FOUR official languages, and on top of that, their "German" is a highly removed form of German, barely intelligible for even native German speakers. I know for a fact that "learning German" won't get you too far, as the dialect is so strong, and so removed, that people must learn Swiss German to survive there.

Next, Switzerland is one of the most difficult countries in the world to get any type of residency status.

 

[themedic911]

Hello everybody!

My sister and I are second year medical students and we were wondering if there are any summer programs in Switzerland related to medicine. Can anyone please guide us as to where to go or who to contact regarding this. We thought it may also be a good idea to shadow at a hospital in the A&E department...does anyone know how we should go about this? Any recommendations and advice will be highly appreciated

Thank you

 

[slight365]

Why not contact a university where you want to go?

And then you realize that Switzerland has four official languages, right?

On top of that, you have given zero background information, which is typical, really. This type of information helps people help you, but for some reason, people feel the need to post here with no information, wanting information that is custom tailored for them and somehow valid. You know, such things as where you're from, what languages you speak, language certifications, citizenship, etc. Then comes the bumping of any random old thread, without even reading the content to see if it's related to the question or not.

 

[Psilocyba]

Hello,

I am also looking for job in switzerland, preferably in Ticino or close around. I graduated in general medicine 3 years ago, did my residency in Slovenia and have been working idependetly in emerency departement as a leader of the team for the past 18 months. I also took some classes from nutrition and sports related medicine. I am fluent in italian and my french and german are somewhere in the middle.
Does anyone know what is the best way to find a job you are looking for, I checked some job seeking sites but for Ticino I could not fnd anything apropriate. Is it better to send the CV directly to the hospital and hope they are looking for some doctors or is it better to find it through the internet page? Can anyone give me some infos about agencies that do the work for you(searching for a job).
Thanks

 

[brikerangel]

Hi
I am in my last year of medical school in Colombia. I have my swiss nacionality and I was wondering if anyone knows what I need to do to apply for a medical residency in switzerland?
Thank you very much,
Andrea Briker

 

[ivancychau]

You need to contact individual departments at the hospitals, they will sort out the required visa or work permit for you

 

[ivancychau]

http://www.careerjet.ch/suchen/stellenangebote?s=assistenzarzt

 

[devildoc8404]

Obtaining a residency in Switzerland can be quite challenging for a foreigner, and almost (but not completely) impossible for a non-EU foreigner.

First of all, you need to speak a Swiss language (German, French, Italian, or maybe Romantsch, but that would be rare and would only help in some very specific areas) to at least the B2 level, and realistically probably higher than that. If you can't speak the language, you will not be able to interview here, and you will certainly not be considered for a training position. The comments above about Swiss German being substantially different than High German are absolutely spot-on, and the variance can-and-will change considerably from region to region. Even native German speakers often have no idea what a local is saying, especially if they are new to the area.

Emergency Medicine is not considered a residency in Switzerland, but the EDs are excellent. Emergency physicians are first completely trained in a specialty (IM, PEDS, SURG, ANES, etc.) and then they complete 18-24 months of specialized emergency training thereafter to obtain SIGNOR certification as an emergency physician, within their specialty. It's actually a very good system, I think, when compared with the 3-year (sometimes 4) generalized program in the States.

If you are not an EU/EEA citizen, the chances are usually extremely low that you will be considered for a position. This is partly due to the fact that they tend to prefer to hire Swiss (and if not Swiss, then EU) citizens, but there is also considerable competition. This is because the resident's salary in Switzerland is approximately twice what residents make in the US, and far more than what residents earn virtually anywhere in the EU. Even with the higher cost of living, it's a really nice situation.

I'm in one of the German-speaking regions of Switzerland, but I gather that the opportunities are even fewer in the French-speaking cantons... and I have no idea about the Italian-speaking opportunities.

 

[MDBulgaria]

Hello to everyone I'm new to this forum. I'm a medical student in Bulgaria and I'm in my fifth year of my education. Next year I'll study in France on ERASMUS programme, after which I'll graduate in Bulgaria. I'm looking for a specialization in Western Europe. I'm mostly interested in specialization and working in Switzerland. Could you tell me what is the procedure? Is there an exam? Or when you start working in a hospital you automatically start the specialization? I'm not familiar to this and I would be very grateful if someone could give me some more information. I'm also interested in going to France and even Belgium. My English level is C1, French level B2, Russian level B2 and Italian level A2. Thank you in advance ))

 

[Nidany]

Hello,
How can American board certified physicianswork in switzerland/ or EU generally ?

 

[SwissMed]

All you basically need to know can be found here in German, French or Italian:
http://www.bag.admin.ch/themen/berufe/07918/11723/index.html?lang=de

If you can't read any of this, the admission process in Switzerland is the least of your concerns.

Once you've passed the exams, you'll just have to look for a job by applying directly to the hospitals that interest you. However, the final work permission depends on the canton of your choice and some might be more restrictive than others. If you're only interested in working in one specific canton (i.e. Geneva), you should ask around first before applying for the exam.

Switzerland needs doctors, but some specialties like Derm might be impossible to get into. There's a massive number of people migrating into CH every year (currently at 80'000 net immigration per year) and the people here decided to lower that number very soon in order to reduce the load on public infrastructure and to stop the drain on dwindling land ressources.

Swiss people are reserved, so get used to it. Some will call them racist, and some sure are, but they won't burn you on a stake or send you into a KZ. Migration is a problem because of the limited resources here, and the situation is not going to improve anytime soon. So don't expect to be welcomed with open arms. They are generally friendly, though, but even Swiss people sometimes find it hard to make friends. Having a solid workplace, however, will help you to get to know some people at least and even to make friends. Most foreigners I met in the different teams I worked for seemed happy and well integrated as far as I could tell. However, it does help to be Non-German, Non-French or Non-Italian (in the respective areas), because "more of the same" isn't always perceived as interesting, and often those who are closest to us in terms of culture and language (i.e. Germans) often feel unhappiest and most inclined to return home at some point in the future. That's just how things are.

First year residents in the canton of Berne should earn 7000CHF/month, less than that in the south and a little more than that in the north. Then the income generally increases by about 200CHF/month every year. Depending on the specialty, you'll work between 50 and 60 hours per week, and everything above 50hours can be compensated (financially or with time off).

 

[asterix04]

Hi all,

I have a query please.
Me and my husband are both doctors working in Singapore.

My husband has the Ireland medical registration, ie he has passed the PRES.

Is Irish medical registration valid in Switzerland to practise as a medical doctor.

I really will be grateful for a reply.

Thank you,
asterix04