Interview with Patricia about her psychiatric job in Norway
Interview with Patricia about her psychiatric job in Norway
Do you want to know more about what it’s like to have a psychiatric job in Scandinavia? We interviewed Patricia, a psychiatrist from Hungary, who moved to Norway after MediCarrera’s language course in Budapest 2019. She found us online and got in touch with us when looking for a job in Norway. She also had a former colleague who relocated with us. We talked to Patricia about her experiences with our company, the language course, the job as a psychiatrist in Norway, and of course, how the family is doing in their new country.
Language course
Patricia experienced the preparatory language course online as very good. When we asked her how she experienced the language course on campus, she answered that it was perfect and got all they needed from their teacher, from different learning methods and materials to emotional support.
During the language course on campus in Budapest, Patricia and her family lived in their apartment as they lived in the city. Because of this, Patricia’s husband had no real change in his life during this time.
“The collaboration with MediCarrera worked well, most of the time, and I got very good help from you in organizing things and paperwork. I did not regret that I chose you.”
The family’s new life
Patricia’s husband is working at a Hungarian company in their home office, but things are unique now because of the covid pandemic. Their children love the school and the kindergarten there, but, of course, they miss their grandparents. Patricia thinks she got perfect help organizing school and kindergarten in Norway in advance.
The family planned to visit home and have grandparents to see them often, that was one reason they chose a town very close to an airport, but nothing of that could happen because of covid. Hopefully, that will change soon!
According to Patricia, the best things about Norway are good salary and beautiful nature. Also, school and kindergarten are great for her kids. Although, they have no friends, no usable public transport, and no Hungarian pastries yet.
“Our new city is a small city with all of its advantages and disadvantages. Most of the time we like it. My husband has an online podcast. I like to read, write, bake and walk in the forest and my daughter likes to draw and swim. We can do all of it here” she continues.
Patricia thinks the country is beautiful, and their landlady was lovely and welcoming. Most of the people at her workplace were welcoming, too, others a bit suspicious. She thinks it was not easy to do all the documentation needed to live there, even with the help she got from MediCarrera. Hence, they had some frustrating moments with authorities and paperwork in the beginning.
Career
Patricia used to work in a university hospital in her old country, and now she works in a small-town outpatient clinic. She explains it’s not the same thing but that she still has the opportunity to learn new things.
Patricia thinks that the most significant differences between Norway and Hungary are salary and work conditions when working. Today she works next to a forest and a lake and has all the equipment she needs. According to Patricia, in Norwegian workplace culture, they do not say negative things about each other; there are mostly positive feedback and less stress.
In the first weeks of Patricia’s new job, she did not understand much because of the different dialects. It was also the first weeks of the first covid wave, so everyone, including those responsible for supervising her, was in quarantine. Therefore, it was a bit chaotic, but everyone was still very patient with her. It was not bad. She learned about the Norwegian health system, including laws and practices that she didn’t know at the language course.
Although she had to learn how things work there, most of the time, the collaboration with Patricia’s colleagues works excellent. She often faces new challenges at work
Before Patricia started to learn Norwegian, a relocated doctor from Romania told her that she and her husband forgot English during the Norwegian course, and the same happened to Patricia. She explains it is beginning to come back now, but it was a frightening experience because she spoke very good English and suddenly it just disappeared. “Don’t be afraid. It’s normal, and it’s coming back after a while. I still have difficulties when I have to switch between English and Norwegian” she says.
The future
When we asked Patricia where she sees herself in five years, she answered that she has no idea, not even a little. It’s a tricky question, but we expect that she will be happy at her workplace and still has the opportunity to learn new things. We want to thank Patricia for taking her time to talk to us, and we wish her and her family all luck in the future.
Are you also interested in a psychiatric job in Sweden, Norway, or Denmark? Please, contact us if you want to learn more about the working conditions and how MediCarrera can assist you on your path to a career in Scandinavian public healthcare.