How To Hire A Doctor In The UAE?

The recruitment procedure of a doctor in the UAE is a time-consuming process. There are many rules, regulations, norms to be followed when finding doctors from international locations. There is a huge demand for doctors, which cannot be met if the talent search is limited to local talent availability. That is one of the reasons why companies partner with medical doctor recruitment agencies. Find out some excellent tips and insights into doctor staffing provided by experts from top medical doctor recruitment agencies.

There are many advantages to finding doctor jobs in the UAE. There is ample opportunity to work as a doctor in the UAE in both the private sector as well as public hospitals.

Medical work can be done not only in terms of medical practice but also in the field of research. Moreover, the income of a doctor is tax-free in the UAE. Therefore, it becomes advantageous for doctors to work there.

But employers looking to hire doctors for their hospitals and clinics have a tough job when it comes to finding and hiring the best-suited professionals for their organization. With ever-changing regulatory requirements in different countries related to license, permits, Visas, etc, hospitals in the UAE need to invest a lot to make doctor staffing relevant, outcome-rich, and risk free.

Here are some tips provided by experts in doctor staffing and serving as the best medical locum agency.

What Should You Know Before Hiring Doctors in the UAE From International Locations

1. Fulfill Dubai Health Authority (DHA) Requirements

In order to obtain a DHA license for a doctor recruitment agencies in Dubai, he/she has to have an appointment offer from a hospital or healthcare facility which is recognized by the DHA. In other words, one has to have a job in the first place.

Apart from that, the doctor has to be registered under the Dubai Medical Registry (DMR). There are parameters like educational qualifications, professional experience, Good Standing Status that has to be fulfilled by doctors interested in working in the UAE.

2. Meet Visa Requirements (They Change Over Time)

The next step is just simple, like any other person migrating into a different country. It just requires that the visa requirements are required to be met to move along with the process.

A doctor should possess an entry-level visa, following which there is a need for a health card which implies the person is free from infections. A labor card will be issued only if you have an entry-level visa, health card, and a written employment agreement. You need to also have a residency visa which permits you to stay in the UAE for more than 30 days. There may be more visa requirements that keep changing with time.

3. Relevant Permits To Practice

A legitimate and well-recognized medical degree should be possessed by the candidates who wish to practice in the UAE. Wherever you belong, you should primarily be qualified to be a doctor in the first place – a bachelor’s degree and/or a master’s degree in medicine and surgery followed by an eligibility test in their native country. A medical license indicates the expertise of the doctor. Along with permits, he/she also needs to have experience.

4. Good Medical Experience Track Records

Verification of experience certificates is done in the UAE by the concerned authorities. Therefore, the doctors who have a rich and dynamic medical experience are obviously preferred over the ones who have plain track records.

5. Academic Qualifications That Are Relevant To Doctor Positions Offered at the Dubai Hospital or Clinic

Usually, a bachelor’s degree in medicine, like the MBBS degree offered in India and MD in the USA and other nations is approved in the UAE. The degree should be issued by a medical college or school that is in the World Directory of Medical Recruitment Dubai. But, a postgraduate degree of a doctor is subjected to cross verification before they can work as a doctor in the UAE.

The qualifications differ on the basis of the position or specialization. For instance, an ophthalmologist would have to have a postgraduate degree in ophthalmology.

6. Linguistic Skills Required By Employer in the UAE

The official language of the UAE is Arabic. However, the most commonly spoken language in the UAE, especially in Dubai, is English. An employer may also want the doctor to learn and understand Urdu or Arabic in addition to English.

The hospitals in the UAE look for doctors who do not let language be a barrier. One can continue to work with only the knowledge of only English. It would be an add-on if a doctor knew Arabic. 88.52% of the population in the country is that of immigrants from other nations (UAE population statistics, World Bank, 2020). Therefore, knowledge of the languages of various nations is welcome.

Tips For Hiring Doctors in The UAE

1) Prepare List of Doctor Requirements – Number of Positions, Speciality Areas, Key Duties

The process of recruiting can be made easy if the employer or hospital authority has a list of their needs. This list should include aspects like the number of doctors needed, the specialty area, key duties, etc.

A list helps the employment agencies in Dubai how urgent the need is to hire doctors. Especially for hospitals in the UAE, the hospital authority should recognize the medical needs of the people of the country. A diverse team of doctors in terms of knowledge should be hired by the authority, for example, to have general physicians, gynecologists, ENT specialists, psychiatrists, dermatologists, cardiologists, etc.

2) Find Relevant Doctor Talent Pools in Target Geographies For Sourcing Talent

Setting a specific region or country as a target might be helpful when it comes to hiring doctors. An area that has top-notch doctors implies that it is an apt place for procuring talent. To identify if a region has doctor talent pools, find out the reviews received by doctors, find out contributions in medical journals, and track the flow of medical tourists in the region.

On the basis of specialization, find out which countries lead by their database possessed by the recruitment agencies. For example, Denmark is known have the best dentists, Poland has the best obstetricians and gynecologists, the US has lots of Orthopedic surgeons, etc.

3) Use Analytics To Identify and Select Best-Fit Doctor Candidates For Your Organization

Quantitative as well as qualitative analytical measures should be incorporated for selecting the best-fit doctor candidates. These methods include cost for hiring, quality of hire, selection channel effectiveness. Adopting a marking index for shortlisting is one of the best ways to narrow down on doctors.

You can even formulate your own method for identifying and selecting doctors. The criteria to consider experience, subject knowledge, practice knowledge, reviews by peers and patients, research and practice aptitude, etc.

4) Reach Out To Best-Match Candidates With Amazing Employer Branded Materials

After all the shortlisting, connect to the candidates that you feel are the best fit for your establishment. To work as a doctor in the UAE, one must have the persona and talent in them to brighten the brand of the employer. The hospital should think it through if the candidate has the potential of being the face of the hospital services.

The candidates should be compatible with the vision and mission of the work culture. Only consider hiring such doctors. You should devise the branded materials such as the pros of being hired by your hospital. Even when working with the best medical locum agency, it is necessary to verify intent and the right set of abilities and track records.

5) Find Out Their Motivations For a Job Switch

While interviewing, make sure to find out why the doctor is interested in switching their job and working as a doctor in the UAE. This would help in the understanding of what motivates them. Is it merely the opportunity to settle in the UAE or serve the people. If only you find their reasons, shortlist them. The motivational factors should not stand out to be selfish needs of the doctors.

6) Get References

Hiring a doctor is not easy. The valuable lives of the people depend on them. Therefore, getting references and recommendations is mandatory. References from doctors could be obtained from medical associations, medical schools/colleges, senior doctors, etc. Moreover, to hire a doctor from other countries, references play a huge role in forming an image of the doctor.

7) Check Background and Track Records of Shortlisted Doctors

Another tip while hiring from an international location is to check background, which is not only getting references but also checking background. Usually, the background checks and credential checks are carried out by recruitment agencies.

There may be doctors who have criminal records, links to malpractices, a history of violence, or other breaches of protocols. Therefore, to hire international candidates, background checks and track records of doctors are a must.

Alliance Recruitment Agency-UAE

Alliance Recruitment Agency is the most professional and trustworthy global manpower agency in the UAE. We deal with a lot of international doctor recruitment and have been serving numerous hospitals across the UAE. Our expert doctor staffing agents have acquired the expertise to be able to quickly source the doctor manpower needs of any hospital.

We serve as a doctor staffing agency for hundreds of employers in the UAE. Connect with us to make your doctor recruitment secure, optimized, and efficient!