ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY

If you are interested in working as an orthopedic surgeon (or back surgeon) in Denmark / Scandinavia, Medicolink finds it relevant for you to become acquainted with the following information, prior to your recruitment process.

The Danish healthcare System

Healthcare service in Denmark is almost exclusively covered publicly and financed by the five regions. The health services are organized into a primary healthcare sector (GPs and private practicing specialist doctors) and a secondary healthcare sector (hospitals and outpatient units), i.e. the GPs function as gatekeepers for the hospitals and specialist doctors. There are a number of private clinics, but the highest proportion of the patients are treated in the public institutions.

Working as an orthopaedic surgeon in Denmark

There are currently about 1060 orthopaedic/back surgeons working in Denmark and it is estimated that there will be an increased need for orthopaedic surgeons in the future.

The weekly working hours in Denmark is 37 hours. The estimated average monthly salary for an orthopaedic surgeon is around 64.500 DKK (equal to a monthly income of about 8650 EUR).

Most orthopedic surgeons work at hospitals in special units as medical specialists, but they can also run their own specialized practice. As an orthopaedic surgery specialist in Denmark you will be expected to work with prevention, diagnosing, treatment, palliation and rehabilitation of patients suffering from illnesses, injuries and birth defects in the musculoskeletal system of traumatic as well as of non-traumatic nature. The treatment can be surgical as well as non-surgical. Because the specialty is connected to the accident and emergency department, orthopedic surgeons will also conduct the primary reception and visitation of severely injured patients. As a result of this, orthopaedic surgeons work closely together with anaesthesiology and other specialties of surgery. In Denmark, the profession has been divided into 9 specific fields: hand surgery, traumatology, shoulder-elbow surgery, back surgery, tumor surgery, foot-ankle surgery, child orthopedic, hip and knee alloplastic and sports traumatology. It is possible for most orthopedic surgeons to do academic research.

Societies of orthopaedic surgery specialist

Dansk Ortopædisk Selskab: Almost all orthopaedic surgery specialist in Denmark are members of DOS. DOS seeks to develop and educate orthopaedic surgeons through national and international scientific research as well as giving their members the opportunity to get further education. You can read more about it here.