ByadminWhat is the attitude of Polish doctors to their foreign collegues?
Doctors from the countries of the former USSR often ask the question: how do our Polish colleagues treat us? We decided to prepare a series of publications on this topic so that our readers understand all the positive and negative aspects of the career of a foreign doctor in Poland. Doctors who have received nostrification and are currently working in Poland will share their impressions.
Here is what a doctor from Ukraine, who is doing an internship in Poland since March 1, 2020, said: “During our postgraduate internship, we first get to know our Polish colleagues and the specifics of Polish healthcare in practice. I am doing a postgraduate internship at a clinic in a small town in northern Poland, I receive a salary, and my employer pays all necessary taxes.
The internship began with surgery. The doctors in this department are mostly men. They often talk about a variety of topics, including their hobbies, families, and problems. At first, they were wary of me, but after a few days they got used to and it turned out that the surgeons are very demanding. They were clearly not satisfied with my level of Polish and the lack of experience in surgery.
Frankly speaking, a woman in the Polish department of surgery, as well as in the clinics of the post-Soviet space, is often perceived not as hostile, but not very friendly. On this occasion, a joke is popular among Polish surgeons: “A woman in an operating room is like a guinea pig – neither a guinea pig, nor a pig”.
During the month of my stay in surgery, they took me for assistance only 3 times. However, on the other hand, when I was doing an internship in urology in Kiev, in a year and a half I was not invited to the operating room even once. Therefore, it is true here that everything is cognized in comparison.
However, if a woman really wants to work as a surgeon in Poland, then there is such an opportunity. At least you do not have to pay a bribe for employment. It is necessary to complete an internship and successfully pass the LEK for admission to residency in this specialty. Surgeons are needed in Poland, so the fairer sex has good chances of getting a job in the surgery department. It so happened that the beginning of my internship coincided with the introduction of quarantine. The doctors were transferred to the “one doctor in the department + one on the phone” regime. It is clear that the income of Polish surgeons during this period decreased significantly, and by and large they simply had no time for me.
As for shifts, they are literally snapped up in our surgery department. After all, being on duty is a great opportunity to make good money. In addition, Polish doctors often pay off big loans for real estate and cars. Therefore, they are no less than we, foreigners, interested in a constant increase in income.
The next department where my internship was continued is pulmonology. Here, too, all the doctors turned out to be men, but they were very friendly – I was invited for rounds, bronchoscopy, doctors were happy to share their experience and were interested in how things are with health care in Ukraine.
However, pulmonologists did not allow me to do anything on my own, and most of my time I spent reading medical literature. However, this is not due to the fact that I am a foreigner; young Polish doctors undergoing internships also often admonish to be not allowed much during this period. Therefore, if you have to face such a situation, you should not be surprised and upset.
The therapists turned out to be the best in their attitude towards me. In the department of therapy, the team is mixed, women and men work here. There is an acute shortage of doctors in the therapeutic departments, so there is an opportunity to learn a lot. In any case, in therapy, you may already be allowed to guide the patient almost independently during the internship.
The resident doctors made the best impression on me. Residents have already been trained a lot in 3-4 years, especially therapists. Our therapeutic department has a doctor who is doing residency in gastroenterology. He is always ready to take a trainee for endoscopic procedures, talks in detail about all the nuances.
If a foreign doctor wants to enter a residency in therapy after an internship, this is like a balm for his polish colleagues. They understand that a specialist who can potentially stay to work with them in the department is undergoing an internship, and then the attitude towards him is very friendly. Among the Poles, as well as among the representatives of other nations, there are people open to interethnic friendship. They are interested in our culture, cuisine, reasons for emigration, etc. Sometimes Polish doctors invite us to visit, usually on holidays. They are often ready to help. In general, Polish doctors treat their foreign colleagues well. After all, doctors are the intelligentsia, so in any case, a foreign doctor will not face rudeness and indifference on their part.”
