As August draws to a close, we see some green shoots of recovery with new medical jobs coming up in the Saudi Arabian private healthcare sector. The private sector counts for just 30% of Saudi healthcare provision and is focused mostly on secondary and primary care with a very selective capacity for tertiay care.
The preceding eighteen months, in which the covid19 pandemic ravaged the Middle East, lead to recruitment freezes prompted by hospital closures, hospital repurposing and travel restrictions which severely limited elective surgical procedures and much routine medical care. Now we see some promise of an attempted return to normality.
New Physician and Surgeon Roles
We have eight new roles in Riyadh and Al Khobar offering excelllent modern working facilities, attractive tax free salary packages with generous benefits, paid leave and Continuing Medical Education opportunities which allow you to keep up to date with the latest developments in your field.
1: Emergency Medicine Physicians
Emergency departments in central Riyadh and Al Khobar are busy with lots of adults and children looking for medical care for emergencies and urgent problems. Many don't have family physicians which are a relatively new concept in the Gulf and use the emergency department for most of their healthcare needs. Working in these departments can be a fascinating experience with the opportunity to manage cases you might never see in the western heatlhcare systems.
You can expect to work 48 hours per week in a shift pattern and as a consultant you will be the leader of teams of specialists (emergency physicians who have just completed residency) whom you will supervise, teach and mentor.
What you will need:
- a specialist fellowship or board certification in emergency medicine - the American Board of Emergency Medicine, FRCPC, FRCEM, FRACEM are all accepted. Western European qualifications are accepted too but many countries do not have residency programmes and postgraduate qualifications in emergency medicine which are comparable to those from North American and the Anglosphere countries. If in doubt, contact us for advice.
- a minimum of 3 years experience post fellowship / board certification working independently as a consultant
- adaptability: the ability to respond quickly and positively to new surroundings and ways of working
- excellent communication: you must be able to communicate clearly and concisely with your team and patients and manage their expectations well.
- problem solving skills: you will need to be innovative and creative to manage the problems that the work presents which may be very different from back home
- IT skills to manage electronic health records and communications
- English language fluency - English is the working language whilst Arabic is the official language. Whilst knowledge of Arabic is not essential, it certainly helps, and learning a basic vocabulary would be a good idea.
2: Vascular Surgeon
What you will need:
- a specialist fellowship or board certification in general surgery - the American Board of Surgery, FRCSC, FRCS /CCT FRACS are all accepted. Western European qualifications are accepted too.
- subspecialist training or a fellowship in vascular surgery. UK Surgeons should have the CCT in vascular surgery as well as general surgery.
- a minimum of 3 years experience post fellowship / board certification working independently as a consultant
- confidence to work unsupported and to lead junior surgeons
- teaching abilities: leading a surgical team you will need to train, manage, educate and mentor your junior surgeons
3: Plastic Surgeons
Saudi Arabia is famous for its aesthetic surgery, facelifts and beauty enhancements but this will not be your sole scope of practice as there is plenty of potential for reconstrucutive surgery, burns surgery and hand surgery.
You can expect to work with a team of plastic surgeons- consultants and specialists - with a varied and exciting case load.
What you will need:
- a specialist fellowship or board certification in plastic surgery - the American Board of Surgery, FRCSC, FRCS /CCT FRACS are all accepted. Western European qualifications are accepted too.
- a minimum of 3 years experience post fellowship / board certification working independently as a consultant
- capability in reconstructive and aesthetic surgery with a solid log book of cases covering 2 years work
- excellent communication and interpersonal skills
4: Spinal Surgeon
5: Physicians
Remuneration
- Basic Salary: salaries are tax free, paid in local currency and graded by pay scale, largely dependent upon experience. You can expect SAR 50,000 and upwards depending upon how many years of practice experience you have since completion of specialist training.
- Incentives: your contract may include a percentage of revenue you generate, particulary if you perform a lot of procedures
- Health Insurance: employers must provide employees with paid health cover. This includes family members for married contracts.
- Accommodation: the employer provides a furnished apartment free of charge. If you don't like it, you can ask for an allownce and rent a place yourself.
- Travel: your flight to and from point of hire will be paid by the employer and each year you can expect a round trip ticket or the value of the same to selct your destination and route of choice.
- Education allowance: a cash allowance to cover school fees for up to 3 children under age 18
- End of Service Award: at the end of your contract, you will receive a bonus payment