Spanish doctor doing his residency in Switzerland, Dr. Alejandro Díaz: “The quality of life offered by the Swiss system was a decisive factor in choosing this option over the Spanish MIR exam.”
19/02/2022 Alejandro Díaz studied Medicine in Budapest and is now doing his residency in Switzerland. In this interview with Médicos y Pacientes, he shares his experience so far, the reasons that led him to reject the Spanish option for residency, and the main differences between both systems.
What led you to decide to do your residency outside of Spain?
After finishing my degree in Budapest, I returned to Spain and started preparing for the MIR exam. However, as time went on, I realized that I had no guarantee of getting my preferred specialty, as there are many candidates for a limited number of positions. So, I began looking for alternatives outside Spain. Since I speak English, the logical choice was the UK or Ireland, but I was not convinced due to Brexit. I then thought that, since I had about eight months until the exam and a year before starting the specialty if I continued with the MIR, I had enough time to learn a new language. When I saw that there were very attractive offers in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, etc., I decided to study German.
What was the process like for you to start your residency in Switzerland? What requirements were asked of you?
The process is relatively simple. Since I studied in an EU country, my degree was automatically recognized, and I only needed to submit the documents in a local language and pay the fees. Additionally, a B2 level in a local language is required. Regarding the choice of specialty, it works differently here. There is no exam; hospitals simply offer job positions, and depending on the specialty you are interested in, you attend an interview, and if hired, you start your residency.
In my case, since I chose Anesthesiology and Resuscitation, the process is different. However, for Intensive Care, the first year is Internal Medicine, followed by four years of the specialty. Moreover, it is mandatory to switch hospitals at least once to a different category, typically starting at a smaller hospital and then moving to a reference hospital.
What are the main differences between the Spanish and Swiss systems regarding the training of future specialists?
The quality of life that Switzerland offered compared to what I could achieve in Spain was a decisive factor, as was the financial compensation.
Another important difference is that shifts in Switzerland are twelve hours long, not twenty-four hours. Regarding research, there are contracts that allow dedicating part of the day to research, and there are also contracts focused solely on research, although these are more aimed at people who want to pursue a Ph.D.
Another key difference is that to pursue a second specialty, you don’t have to start from scratch. In my case, if I want to do intensive care after finishing my current residency, they will recognize a large part of my previous training, and in about eighteen months, I would have the second specialty. Additionally, the contract depends on your years of experience, not as if you were starting over. It is true that, since I have an employment contract, there is a risk of being dismissed if I do not meet the hospital’s requirements, but this is uncommon.
Finally, to obtain the specialty title, you must pass an exam and meet a series of requirements, such as having used certain techniques or procedures a specific number of times and completing a certain number of years in the specialty (in my case, five).
How has your experience been so far as a resident doctor?
So far, I am very happy. I work a lot, our contracts are for fifty hours a week, and at the moment I work from Monday to Friday, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. I think, in my case, since I studied abroad, it was easier for me to make the decision.
Would you recommend this to medical students finishing their degrees?
Absolutely, if you have the opportunity and it’s worthwhile, I would definitely recommend it 100%. While Spain certainly attracts with its quality of life, climate, cuisine, etc., for me, being in Switzerland is worth it. In fact, since I arrived, more and more people ask me how they can come to Switzerland and what they need to do.
Do you plan to return to Spain as a professional?
At the moment, I don’t plan to. From what little I know through my colleagues and my father, who is also a doctor, I’m not convinced. The quality of life, salaries, and lack of resources that directly affect workers and especially patients make the idea of working in Spain unappealing to me.
Moreover, Switzerland’s healthcare system is a mix of public and private, and hospitals are results-oriented, which makes everything much faster. There are no long waiting lists, operating rooms are never idle, etc.
