PSYCHIATRY

If you are interested in working as a psychiatrist in Denmark / Scandinavia, Medicolink finds it relevant for you to become acquainted with the following information, prior to your recruitment process.

General info on the Danish healthcare system

Healthcare service in Denmark is almost exclusively covered publicly, 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 patients are treated in the public institutions.

Psychiatry in Denmark

The weekly working hours for psychiatrists are 37 hours and the average salary is about minimum 113 000 EUR yearly (including pension benefits).

The psychiatric outpatient treatment in Denmark is divided between the psychiatric departments of the bigger hospitals, community psychiatric clinics and local psychiatric units managed by the 5 Regions. There is a main hospital in every region and there are four university hospitals in the country: Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg. Besides the big hospitals, the psychiatric treatment is performed at community psychiatric units. Psychiatrists often work within teams that consist of the psychiatrist, a psychologist, a nurse and possibly a social worker. The management structure is partially different from other countries. The staff specialist or the chief physician is responsible for the treatment, but the cooperation with the other professionals is much less hierarchical. The nurses play a very important role in the treatment; they serve as continuity figures throughout the process. They undergo a 3,5 year training, which endows them high professional knowledge and the ability to take higher responsibilities than they would have elsewhere.

Societies for psychiatrists

DPS: Danish Psychiatric Society is an association for psychiatrists in Denmark. The association seeks to educate their members further and to support academic research. They also want to increase the public’s knowledge on psychiatry.