Integrating into Norwegian medical landscape

[katie7]

Hello!

I would like to know about study and working possibilities in Norway. I'm from Estonia and currently on my 3rd year of medical studies. I have heard that Norwegians are not so keen on accepting Eastern Europeans to work.

So, my questions would be > do i have to retake the final exam in Norway (after the 6th year and just before residency)? Would i have to study something more in Norway ( like retaking some classes etc). What are other conditions to be a resident there? And how likely it is for me to be accepted there in the first place? What is the cost of it all. Any scholarships????

My plan was to go to Norway to work for the summer and like this get to know their system and requirements better. Any suggestions on where to write for the summer job at the hospital? Any particularly friendly hospital or hospital in need of medical staff?

Thank you so much!

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[Manarola]

I think the language issue would be your biggest challenge in finding work during the summer. There is usually a need for temporary Nursing Assistants in geriatric facilities, especially in July and August. I would contact some temp agencies (adecco, manpower, etc.) and see if they have any leads.

As far as study possibilities, I'm not sure what you're interested in. Research is a good route and many foreigners come in this way - do several years in a lab, acquire the language skills and then transition into a more clinical position. You can find stipends/jobs at university webpages or nav.no. Since Estonia is in the EU, I don't think you would have to take an extra exam after you graduate (Russians have to) but you can contact the authorization authority (safh.no) or the Norwegian Medical Association for confirm this. Contact the Univ. of Oslo medical faculty to see if you'd need to take additional classes. Again, since you're coming from EU I don't think you'd need anything extra, but you may have to take a few classes in forensic medicine, health care laws in Norway, etc.

As far as how accepting Norwegians are towards Eastern Europeans...this depends...it's like any European country I guess and there are stereotypes. Generally, I think Norwegians view Eastern Europeans as hard workers, but they tend to exploit this fact. I know several Eastern Europeans who've successfully transitioned into the Norwegian Health Care System. The only negative thing i've heard is that they sometimes don't feel equal and they get a bit more grunt work. Also, bear in mind, everyone wants to come here so if you do your 1 year Residency period in Norway you may have to wait as there are too many people waiting for these positions. Also, laws may become more restrictive in the future so when you graduate, it may be much more difficult to come here. One final thing, if you come to Norway, the emphasis is to train more rural general practitioners. Placement in cities, in a larger hospital setting will be almost impossible.

Hope this helps!

 

[Adoran]

Ah, something I can help with. Partially.

As long as your education is from within the EEA (European Economic Area) you do not have to take any additional tests. You will apply for turnus (preliminary internship - 18 months) along with all the other Norwegian students.. Not sure what you have to do to get residency etc.

Turnus draw works as following; there is a draw, and you get assigned a random number. Whoever got number 1 gets to choose where to serve his/her turnus first. Then number 2 and so on. If you're unlucky, you'll get a number higher than the number of available turnus spots, in which case you'll have to wait half a year and will be prioritized at the next turnus draw.

While there might be a general attitude of Norwegian superiority, and some attendings looking down on eastern european graduates, the random turnus draw gives you a chance to show what you know, regardless of where you went to medschool.

As of 2008/2009, the salary for turnus doctors is around 370,000kr a year.

After the 18 month turnus, you apply for "Lege i spesialisering" positions. That is, Doctor under specialization, which is the real "residency". These positions can be found as 6/12/18-month renewable positions, or as permanent positions that last throughout your residency.

 

[Simmy]

I can almost garantee you that you will not get a recidency spot in Norway if you are not a Norwegian citizen. And if you dont know/understand Norwegian you will not get work at all..

There are allready to few recidency spots for the Norwegian and Norwegian students that study abroad, so taking in foreigners as residents are not something that is done...

- Im a Norwegian Med students in Poland btw