Medicine is well-known to be a long, winding, and costly path to take. However, if becoming a doctor has always been your goal, you can work your way to become one without spending too much in Hungary. Hungarian medical schools is relatively affordable compared to the likes of other EU countries and the United States. Despite the cost-effectiveness, Hungary does not cut short on the teaching quality and learning experience they provide to their students.
Hungary is more accepting of international students. As it is an emerging international study destination, Hungary is establishing international connections by partnering with universities all over the world and opening its borders to aspiring foreign medical school hopefuls.
In 2019, Hungary recorded 34,000 doctors in employment. The fluctuations in the employment of healthcare workers can also be your opportunity to land a career as a doctor in Hungary and open your own clinic at half the cost it would take if you were in the UK. Keep reading to find out more about the steps to become a doctor in Hungary.
Steps to Become a Doctor in Hungary
1. Organize your plan to apply for medical school.
Medical education in Hungary consists of a six-year medical degree program. Degree programs offered in English only have limited slots, so plan ahead which university you wish to apply for.
There are four medical universities to choose from, all offering degrees in medicine and other health programs in English. These are the University of Szeged, University of Pecs, Semmelweis University, and University of Debrecen.
To apply for any university of your choice, you are required to pass an entrance examination that consists of a written exam portion and an oral interview on topics related to health and medicine.
2. Qualify for a medical university.
Different medical universities present different strengths and opportunities for you to explore in your six years of studying medicine. Choose a university not because of its statistical figures, but because of the coursework curriculum that you believe will be significant to broadening your knowledge and to become a doctor in Hungary.
3. Stock up on knowledge for your first five years in university.
Now that you finally made it into medical school, it is an arduous path to face every day until graduation. For the first five years of your studies, you will be familiar with the concepts and theories necessary for understanding advanced technical processes. Theoretical knowledge will serve as the foundation of your hands-on skills for every field in medicine.
By your final year in school, you will be required to go on an internship for hands-on work experience. This is an important step to become a doctor in Hungary. As a clinical intern, you will be rotated around hospitals, working with a team of upperclassmen that will guide you and help you in approaching patients.
An internship will also put your Hungarian language proficiency to the test. Despite studying in English, you must remember that your future colleagues and patients will not always be proficient in English.
4. Graduate and proceed with specialist training.
After completing six years of medical education, you are now a rightful MBBS degree holder. However, medical studies and training continue on with specialist training.
Specialist training, or residency, is the next step to become a doctor in Hungary. It is the transition period from being a student to becoming a fully-fledged working professional of healthcare. Hungary placed a resident training system, with the four medical universities participating to match their graduates with the appropriate residency program.
Resident training occurs in centers accredited by the universities. The Ministry of Human Capacities decides how many accredited training centers will be accommodating residents, as needs for every region differ every year.
Residency is a hands-on training experience for freshly minted doctors to focus on a medical specialty they aspire to practice. The chances to match with a competent residency program also depend on the points you earned for comprehensive exams, medical specialty subjects, language proficiency exams, and oral interviews.
5. Obtain your medical license.
Every EU country has different guidelines and requirements in obtaining a medical license. Hungary on the other hand immediately registers a graduate with a diploma in medicine to be fit and knowledgeable to perform work in the medical field.
This is called the basic registration of medical professionals. However, should you aspire to open your own clinic, or start your practice overseas, you will need to turn in some other requirements to file for operational registration.
As you intend to open a clinic in Hungary, you will have to fill out an application form for operational registration, a receipt of the administrative fee, and submit proof of membership of the chamber assigned for your profession. As a doctor, you must also apply for membership in the Hungarian Medical Chamber.
6. Advance with postgraduate studies.
Postgraduate studies are highly specialized in a field of your interest. Hungary offers a number of postgraduate degree programs, such as molecular biotechnology and medical biotechnology.
Postgraduate studies can be accomplished alongside resident training. It typically lasts 2 to 4 years, depending on the scope of the specialization.
Hungary has fewer doctors and other healthcare workers, therefore the demand is high. This is your opportunity to land a budget-friendly medical education and a relatively hassle-free journey from specialist training to become a professional doctor. Hungary’s openness to foreign students increases the density of foreign employed doctors and other professionals in running the different sectors of Hungarian society.
Doctors will always be in demand. With COVID-19 slowly becoming a daily occurrence in our lives, doctors will always be needed to treat and help infected patients get better. Especially with how stressful a doctor’s day-to-day routine can be, it is important that countries nurture enough doctors to fill in the gaps or succeed their mentors.
Hungary as a small, landlocked country is a conducive learning environment for medical students. The ease of transportation and affordable living costs also make Hungary a suitable place for fresh graduates to start their careers as professionals of healthcare.
We hope that you found this article on the steps to becoming a doctor in Hungary informative and helpful. Make sure to also check out the Available Programs in Europe!
