Doctors can be freelancers, too.
At the start of 2007, the French government estimated the total number of practicing doctors was 208,000. This count was projected to reduce by almost 10% over the next decade. Anticipating a lack of medical practitioners, the government has raised its numerus clausus (permissible number of students to be admitted in the second year of medical course) to about 8,000 for 2011. In contrast, this number was just 4,100 from 2000 to 2001.
In France, medical studies require eight years to complete in general medicine and eleven years for medical specialties. However, you do not have to necessarily pursue medical education in France to work as a doctor or physician there. Foreign doctors can practice in France due to the accreditation system.
Glance through the detailed description of the steps to be a doctor in France:
Medical Education in France
The course of medical education in France follows a three-stage structure.
First Stage
The first stage comprises a two-year cycle called Premier Cycle d’études Médicales (PCEM). French students with qualifications equal to a baccalaureate can opt for this. Each faculty or medicine department can admit a maximum of 8% international candidates outside the EU. In PCEM, students of all medical departments study the same subjects.
By the close of the first year, almost 20% of students clear the examination. The students who flunk the exam can repeat their first year once more. The following year, students must get an internship in the nursing field.
Second Stage
The next stage of medical studies commences with a four-year course called Deuxième Cycles des Études médicales (DCEM). To complete DCEM, students have to pursue three years of internships in different specialties at hospitals, attend compulsory seminars, and get on-call 36 times in a three-year period. In the last three years of this stage, students receive a monthly stipend of some hundred euros.
If the student clears the theoretical course tests at the end of DCEM, he/she can proceed to the specialized course. Further, students’ specialty and residence location depend upon their exam grades.
Third Stage
Students can select general medicine or one specialty out of the given 30 branches of medicine in the third cycle. They must also carry out full-time duties in different medical departments, including six-month terms. For this work, a doctor’s salary in France per month is between 1,336-2,052 euros per doctor’s and an additional payment in case of ‘on-call’ duties. After completing the three-year course, general medicine students get a Diploma of Specialized Studies (DES). However, this course lasts 4-5 years for students of other specialties.
Further, the residents must register at France’s National Medical Association (Ordre des Médecins) to start their praFrance’slternate Route.
You can continue with the medical course in France, even if you have initiated your studies in a country outside the EU. You are required to clear the first year of PCEM along with the related exam. After passing this exam, students from abroad can be admitted to the next level equivalent to their native country. The last passed academic exam determines this.
Medical practitioners from outside the EU can go for DES. The relevant eligibility exams are taken at the French embassies in Paris. You can download the application forms from the CNG website (Center National de Gestion). However, this is not easy, as the statistics showed that only up to 20 such positions were available in 2010-11.
How to be a doctor in France?
To practice medicine in France, you must adhere to PAE (Procédure authorization d’ Exercise). This procedure involves presenting your academics and work experience, clearing a skill exam, and demonstrating your French expertise. The majority of foreign doctors arrive from Africa. These practitioners are collectively known as PADHUE (praticiens à Diplôme Hors Union Européenne). They have organized an association by SNPADHUE (Syndicat National Des Praticiens A Diplôme Hors Union Européenne).
However, PADHUE faces some troubles as they are regarded as ‘second-class’ physicians. This continues despite the amendments to their position against the 2006 law. For instance, French hospitals have permission to give them less than doctors with European or French diplomas.
In France, doctors are in high demand in remote areas and small towns. For these towns, foreign doctors are usually recruited from Eastern Europe. This is generally because the French doctors are likely to practice in South France or the country’s big cities.
After leaving Wells Fargo Bank in 2014, Daniel began a career as a finance consultant, advising companies and individuals on economic policy, labor relations, and financial management.
At Nimblefreelancer.com, Daniel writes about personal finance topics, value estimation, budgeting strategies, retirement planning, and portfolio diversification.
Read more on Daniel Smith's biography page.
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