Specialty in Denmark/Norway/Sweden for non -european

[MedicalFreak]

Hi everyone.

Hopefully someone can help me. I `m a palestinian medical student currently studying in Greece.
Can someone tell me what are the procedures in order to apply for specialty in one of these
scandinavian countries and/or direct me to a website that can provide more information?

I am also interested in finding out the level of the language of the respective country someone
would need to know when applying and showing up at the interview.

Hopefully my situation is not unique as I would like to find out the opinion of someone who is also
non-european, but has studied in a European country.

Thank you so much in advance

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[Ivos]

This is the info you need for Sweden: http://www.socialstyrelsen.se/applicationforswedishlicencetopractiseothercountries/doctorofmedicine

I'd like to point out that while the language test for getting approved might not be that hard, getting a job without knowing near-perfect Swedish can be very hard. I suggest you pick one of the countries (I'd go with Norway) and focus solely on that to increase your chances to learn the language to a sufficient level.

 

[Helmutnl]

Would you say Norway would be better than Sweden in terms of available vacancies in the long term?
What about Denmark? Do the Danish also have shortage of doctors?
And do you have any info on specialties and employment in Netherlands,Flanders, Iceland and Finland?

 

[Ivos]

If you're into primary care (incl. psych) then there are vacancies all around the nordics. Few physicians wants to work in rural areas, and there's a lot of rural up north. In urban areas (cities of ~100k population and up) it's a lot harder. Finding a job in Stockholm was recently described as such: http://i.imgur.com/LEyHZL6.gif
Norway currently has by far the best and biggest public economy (due to the oil fund), which means higher salaries for doctors (and most people) as well as slightly lower taxes. The cost of living is admittedly higher though. If you're talking long term as in 10 years, nothing much will change. If you're talking 40 years, who knows? But that goes for everywhere.

 

[Helmutnl]

Hi, thanks for your help.
Regarding vacancies.
What about Denmark? Do the Danish also have shortage of doctors?
And do you have any info on specialties and employment in Netherlands,Flanders, Iceland and Finland?
Is finding a job in Stockholm really like that picture?
Maybe the situation in Göteborg or smaller towns like Uppsala, Jönköping, Linköping, Växjö, örebro, Lund or Umeå is better?

 

[Ivos]

Sorry, don't know Denmark or Finland that well, but I'd presume the situation is the same. No info on Netherlands or Iceland.

Mind you, you listed the major cities in Sweden basically in order of population. Of those, six have medical programs, which means they will be somewhat tough to get a spot in if you didn't go there for medical school. The ones who has not (Jönköping, Växjö) should be easy enough to get jobs in.

It's not impossible to find work as a doctor in Sweden. The problem is you usually only get two out of three of the following:
1. The specialty you want
2. The city you want
3. At the time you want

The last point is due to it being common that you have to do temporary employments for a time before getting a fixed position, starting from temping before internships/AT or residency/ST.

 

[Helmutnl]

Hi, thanks Ivos.
In case a Non-EU citizen graduated in medicine from Germany, what are the opportunities for him in Sweden, considering of course that I have already passed the Tisus Swedish exam and have an advanced level in Swedish?
And is it true that many Swedish doctors are moving to Norway or probably Switzerland these days?
And what about Malmö, considering that it doesn't have a medical school?

 

[Ivos]

Unsure about non-eu from eu schools, but the difference is probably just which tests you'd have to do.

Moving to Norway? Not really. A few.
Working in Norway? Yes. A lot of doctors do a couple of weeks abroad every now and then and some go there for 6-7 months early in the career and work their asses off in order to pay off their student loans quick.

Moving/workin in Switzerland? Not a chance. Most people don't know german/french/italian even nearly well enough.

Lund is basically a suburb of Malmö.

 

[Neem]

Hi, although its late. But, i am confused. Can someone help me?
Does anyone know about Supplementary education – Instead of the TULE test?
What subject does it teach?
How hard is TULE exam? While remembering all of your medical term in Swedish language?