Ever wondered which are the 6 easiest countries to work as a doctor? In today’s times, we live in such a connected world that it’s hard not to think about how your career would be if you were living in another country. There are many factors to consider when saying a job is easier and truthfully told, there are numerous factors that can convince a person to leave their country in search of greener pastures.
Being a doctor is not an easy task. After the years of education and restless nights, part of their job is to empathize with the stress and sickness their patients are undergoing. While we could list a lot of different things, we chose to put in three major factors that can help us make a logical decision about how we rank this list.
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The first factor we’ll consider is the net monthly income for the medical professional in each country. It’s easier to say that the workload is manageable when you have more than enough salary to compensate for the amount of work you put in. For this, we take information from World Salaries, and its basis, the International Labor Organization. We also check Salary Explorer, to confirm the median salary based on surveys and various statistics. If you’re looking for a more in-depth article on doctor salary, we recommend the 16 highest paying countries for doctors.
The second statistic we need to look into is the safety index of each country. This takes into account crimes, accidents, as well as job and life security in general. Thinking about negative factors such as crime will greatly influence the stress level of a person. Security is also important so that one can have peace at work and home. For this, we look into Numbeo and their mid-2016 statistics for Crime and Safety Index. The final factor is physician availability based on the annual survey of the World Health Organization. Simply put, the more medical professionals there are in a given country means that the workload for each doctor will be distinctively lower, making it easier.
Before we move on to the list of easiest countries to work as a doctor, you should take note that some countries do not provide enough information for them to be properly ranked. There are some countries that provide information on their safety index, but not their average salary, etc. With all of that in mind, let’s move on to the 6 easiest countries to work as a doctor according to the factors we have considered:
6. Portugal
Net Monthly Income: around $1,300
Number of Physicians per 10,000: 41
Safety Index: 65.45
While Portugal doesn’t have the best salary as compared to other countries on the list, the number of physicians available, as well as the safety of the country, easily makes up for it. Its Safety Index is at 65.45 which is higher than that of the United States and the UK.
One thing you may consider when looking for a medical job here is that there are a lot of requirements. Non-EU members especially need more documentation to prove their education. Despite that, many foreign doctors prefer it in Portugal because of the people, culture, weather, and its proximity to the ocean.
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5. Singapore
Net Monthly Income: around $2,450
Number of Physicians per 10,000: 19.5
Safety Index: 83.51
Considered one of the safest places in the world, Singapore is definitely one of the choices in Asia if one prioritizes security overall. Doctors are quite in demand here and the hours are also a bit longer than usual. Most medical physicians here find that the salary is well enough for the high standard of living in the country.
A few of the things foreign doctors love about Singapore is the job stability. You will almost never be in a situation where you’ll lose your job. Aside from that, doctors are also granted more annual leave compared to other professions.
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4. Australia
Net Monthly Income: around $4,200
Number of Physicians per 10,000: 32.7
Safety Index: 58
Two of the more enticing things about Australia are its economic stability and the fact that doctors are generally paid a lot more here than in other countries. There are also enough physicians in the country to ensure that doctors are not overworked.
A lot of doctors left their home countries for Australia because the hours are less here and there is also less pressure on the doctors. The weather and culture of the country also seem to appeal to a lot of people easily making Australia round up the first half of the 6 easiest countries to work as a doctor.
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3. Spain
Net Monthly Income: around $2,500
Number of Physicians per 10,000: 49.5
Safety Index: 67.88
While Spain doesn’t offer the same salary as that of Australia, the pressure on physicians here is immensely lower. Spain has also recently developed to become one of the safer places in the world.
Spanish healthcare is considered one of the best in the world, and it’s funded by the state. Also, more people are immigrating and moving to Spain each year, meaning that the demands for English speaking doctors are getting higher.
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2. Switzerland
Net Monthly Income: around $5,200
Number of Physicians per 10,000: 40.5
Safety Index: 75.6
Switzerland is well known to be one of the highest paying countries in the world for a lot of careers. It is also one of the safest places if you’re thinking about security. In the last few years, a lot of doctors have moved to Switzerland because of high pay and policies that don’t bind their profession, giving them entrepreneurial freedom. Almost 30% of doctors in Switzerland have foreign degrees.
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1. Qatar
Net Monthly Income: around $4,500
Number of Physicians per 10,000: 77.44
Safety Index: 79.59
A lot of people tend to ignore Qatar because of generalizations made about the Middle East. Yet, Qatar provides one of the highest salaries in the world and is also one of the safest places in the world. The number of physicians present in the country is proof enough of how a lot of doctors like it here. Qatar has a booming economy and the environment caters to foreigners and expatriates. Basing it on the factors we determined, Qatar is definitely at its rightful place at the top of the 6 easiest countries to work as a doctor.
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