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Going by the information provided by the NBHW, it seems that there is no way for you to do the AT - Croatia is not listed among the eligible countries.
https://www.socialstyrelsen.se/ansokaom ... es/lakare3

However, this does not have to be a problem for you. The county councils are used to receiving immigrating physicians who may not have any previous experience of the Swedish system. You should be able to get a comprehensive, alternate introduction.

A large portion of the Swedish physicians have a foreign background - you would not stand out in that regard. Your Swedish language skills will make up a big part of the impression you make, however.

Thank you both for your answers.

I see well the point of "by passing" those few years but still i feel like ( and i am convinced) that those five months of practice that we get here before obtaining our licence have absolutly nothing to do with your AT , frist of all it is way shorter (it used to be a year long but had to be cut down for budget reasons...) then during this period we don't get much responsabilities , if any, and we are not expected to prove anything.. Usually, people who graduate here and pass the licence (state exam) work 2/3 years after in the ER before getting a spot in specialization and this is where they get the formation..

I would rather come directly ( after learning swedish) and do AT to be in immersion in the system.. But you are the ones who know better so i am considering staying in Croatia to get a licence now. I am really afraid of being totally "behind" the swedish licence junior doctor.

How are foreigners viewed in the swedish hospital ?

Hello Sarah!

The AT is a solid introduction to working as a physician in the Swedish healthcare system, but as Halu pointed out it can be tricky to get an AT position (the average time for everyone, Swedish-educated physicians included, is 10-11 months nationally and up to 24 months in Stockholm). By getting a EU medical license, you would be able to bypass the AT and instead negotiate a different introduction with the county council you will work in.

If anything is unclear or if you want to know more about other things, feel free to ask more questions!

Sarah,

As AT positions are hard to come by, even for Swedish graduates, you'd probably do better if you obtained your licence in your home country and then applied for a job in Sweden. As a foreigner, getting a job with a licence is likely just as hard as getting a job (AT or vik ul) without it, and you "save" 2-4 years by doing so.

Best of luck

Dear Nils,

I am really glad i found this forum , it is really helpful!
i am currently a 5th year medical student at the university of Zagreb, Croatia.
I am really interested in moving to Sweden to work but i have some trouble finding the "best/smartest" way :

this is your personal opinion that im looking for , ( from experience or what you have heard) : is it better for me to come to sweden after completing the croatian version of AT (which is only 5 month and is mostly shadowing, no responsability etc.), and after taking the final state exam grabting an EU license to practice,
or coming directly to sweden righ after MD obtention and apply to AT in Sweden?
The other idea would be to do those 5 months in Croatia , without doing the license exam , so i would get some "experience" to put on my application to AT?

what do you think ??


thak you for your answer.