Camelia, Child and adolescent psychiatrist from Romania working in Denmark

CAMELIA came to Denmark in the beginning of March 2013 to start her new position in Brønderslev. She is very happy to work and finish her education as a specialist doctor in Denmark, because the system works well and she enjoys the interdisciplinary collaboration. She lives in Aalborg, but works in Brønderslev, where she has just finished her I-Position (introduction position) and is now starting her H-position (according to the Danish system for education of Specialist doctors).
How it all started
“It all started when, one day, I almost accidentally came across a job fair. I’ve always known that I wanted to work in one of the Nordic countries, but I had virtually no knowledge of the difference between Sweden, Norway and Denmark. My choice of speciality was also based on the knowledge that there was a need for child–adolescent psychiatrists in Scandinavia, and that this would increase my possibilities for getting a job abroad. At that job fair, I met with MediCarrera who said they also sought doctors for junior positions. I was a little suspicious as I had read something else, but I filled out the form that they gave me and only 3 days later I was again contacted by MediCarrera to participate in a screening interview on Skype. Why not, I thought to myself, and from then on things suddenly happened very fast.”
Interview trip July 2012
When Camelia received the message from MediCarrera that there was a hospital in Denmark that was interested in her, she was almost in shock and somewhat overwhelmed. At the first interview with psychiatry in North Jutland, she did so well that she was subsequently invited to the second interview in Denmark. Here she was to see the hospital, clinic, new colleagues, and the city and of course her husband should also see Denmark. The study trip to Denmark took place in July. The couple had been a little hesitant because of the weather. “We had heard that the sun only shone four hours a day and that it was very cold, but the weather in July was lovely. The interview was very relaxed. Not as serious as the first interview. It was about showing me the department and introducing new colleagues. Everything was very well prepared and organized for us. We also went to a typical Danish restaurant and tasted Danish food”, Camelia recalls. It is important for Camelia to emphasise that during the whole process her husband was being included. “Both MediCarrera and my future employers were paying close attention to whether he supported me, whether he was ready to move to a new country, if he had job opportunities, etc. He was really considered an important part of our arrival to Denmark.”“During the first time period, we followed this programme, and that was great. We were introduced to our new jobs in a very smooth and organised way.”