Ahead of new opportunities, review by pediatrician Maja from Sweden

The success of our candidates in the chosen country of relocation always makes us happy. Today we bring a review of the process of moving to Sweden, which was shared with us by our today’s interviewee, pediatrician Maja.

Maja Josipović, pediatrician

The reasons for moving Maja and her family were not of a monetary nature, but a consequence of the political climate in Croatia. “We were not primarily motivated by the financial situation to move to Sweden. It was more the political climate throughout the country, dissatisfaction with the health care system, lack of organization, overload at work, suitability before ability and ensuring a better and brighter future for our children, of whom we have three. We chose Sweden because several close friends had already moved there before and they were very satisfied.”

The satisfaction of workers is in the first place in healthcare and the Swedish bosses care about it. A lot of importance is placed on the organization of work without stress, and there is also talk about improving the already good conditions. “It is very important to work with as little stress as possible, a concept that was unknown to me until now and I still can’t get used to it. Colleagues from Croatia who work here for a long time say that it takes a long time to get used to thinking like a Swede, stress free. There is a lot of discussion about improving conditions at work, about time for rest during working hours, about the number of patients for whom the doctor is responsible, about the possibilities of education, about time for research and doing scientific work if the worker wants it.” The responsibilities of specialist doctors are also different. which mostly have standby as opposed to on-call. “They are available from home on the phone according to the schedule, they only come if they have to, which is rare. The readiness is paid and you get free time for it. Residents are on duty at the hospital, who have much more responsibility and independence than residents in Croatia (my personal impression from the experience with specialization does not mean that it is still the same today and everywhere in Croatia). The health system is organized a little differently than here. As a rule, there are 6-8 patients a day in the clinic where regular patients are ordered. In emergency clinics, nurses perform triage and solve many simpler cases by themselves. There are days when half of the working day is reserved for education (various lectures – live or online). ”

Labour organization

The work, in addition to being stress free, is very well organized and respects all the needs of the doctor and the patient. “Working hours are from eight to half past five. From eight to nine is administrative time, at nine is fika – something that is very important to them, lasts about half an hour. After that, patients until noon, then it’s lunch, the ward is locked. After lunch, patients again, scheduled patients do not always have to be physically present, sometimes it is a telephone conversation. In the afternoon, there is usually another fika of 15 minutes – half an hour.” Maja also shared with us the interesting organization of the work of the nurses, who are of great help in their daily work. “Nurses perform a large part of the work and education of patients. Each one is closely specialized in her part of the job and there is no jumping to other departments, other workplaces like with us. If they are not educated for something, they will not do it. At the price of leaving it undone. Then, if necessary, the patient is redirected to another place or postponed if it is something that can wait. The work is team work, we discuss what the plan is with the patients, nurses or technicians often ask about the reasons and causes of some conditions or diseases, we learn from each other. Everyone addresses each other by name, there is no hierarchy.”

Maja also emphasizes that education and opportunities for improvement are numerous, and there are also numerous differences between the Croatian and Swedish healthcare systems. “There are a lot of differences. Very much. From the very access to the patient, the availability of equipment and tests, the relationship with the parents – they participate much more in the care of the patient (i.e. their child). Big difference in workload. Big difference in the amount of stress. In the beginning, it is stressful, but for the reason that a person comes to a new system to which he needs to get used to, a new language, a new environment, new ways of thinking.”

What to do in your free time?

Our interlocutor is very satisfied with her new colleagues and Swedish culture. “Swedes are very kind, they avoid conflicts, they want to help and show. The adage they use is – work smarter, not harder. They do a lot of different physical activities, they walk in nature, regardless of the weather conditions. They don’t have a culture of drinking coffee in cafes, there are almost no cafes. At least in smaller towns. Big cities like Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö are the exception, but not to the extent we might expect.”

Maja says to everyone who is thinking about moving: “If you have started thinking about moving from Croatia, it is a sign that you should do it.” As soon as possible. I and my family are sorry that we didn’t decide to take that step much sooner. Much, much earlier. The children are extremely satisfied with the school, the environment and the possibilities. We were also lucky that I found great ones in the work environment and nearby! friends with whom we hang out as a family outside of work and who have helped us a lot, making it a lot easier for us to move to a new country. I would recommend INCOR in any case!”

You can see more reviews and experiences of our candidates here!