Belgium | Residency Database

Section A. Residency System

1. Does this country accept international physicians for specialization in its hospitals?:

Yes

2. Specialties offered (name duration)::

Anesthesiology 5
Cardiology 6
Clinical Biology 5
Dermatology 4
Gastroenterology 6
General Madicine 2
Internal Medicine 5
Legal Medicine 3
Neurology 5
Neurological Surgery 6
Nuclear Medicine 5
Obstetrics and Gynecology 5
Oncology & Radiotherapy 5
Ophthalmology 4
Orthopaedic Surgery 6
Otolaryngology 5
Pathology 5
Pediatrics 5
Physical Medicine 5
Plastic Surgery 6
Pneumology 6
Psychiatry 5
Radiology 6
Rheumatology 5
Stomatology 5
Surgery General 5
Urology 6
Emergency (Dipl) 2
Endocrinology (Dipl) 2
Geriatrics (Dipl) 2
ImmunoAllergiology (Dipl) 2
ImmunoHematology (Dipl) 1
Infectious Diseases (Dipl) 2
Intensive Care (Dipl) 2
Nephrology (Dipl) 2
Oncology (Dipl) 2
Paliative Care (Dipl) 1
Pediatric Neurology (Dipl) 2

3. Are there examinations during the residency? How are the residents’ evaluated?:

There is a Judge which regularly exam the residents about their progress according to the report made by doctors. This Judge has the power to let the residents pass or fail.
Apart from the exams, the participation of the residents in the clinical sessions has great weigh in the evaluation. In add, the residents have to write a memory which also contributes to the final decision.

4. How many hours of work per week are there?:

5. What is the ratio between this country’s doctors and its population?:

395 physicians per 100.000 people

6. Which languages are necessary for the medical residency?:

French

7. References:

http://www.ulb.ac.be/prog/medicine/desdeam/index.html

Section B. Finance

1. A. Is there a tuition fee for the residency? If so, how much (in euro or usd)?:

Yes, Around 20000 € per year

2. What is the annual salary (in euro or u.s.d)?:

45000 € per year (it´s important to know that you have to pay 50% in taxes)

3. How expensive are the costs of living (average annual expenditure in euro or u.s.d)?:

Around 12000 € per year

4. References:

http://www.payscale.com/salary-survey/vid-52568/fid-7028

Section C. Application Procedure

1. Accreditation procedure:

To get a possition as a resident in a hospital in Belgium, you have to pass a selection between all the applicants. This process consists on the evaluation of your curriculum and your achivements. In add, there could be an interview or knowledge evaluation.

3. Differences in application procedure depending on country of origin:

4. Ratio between applicants and physicians who finally obtain a residency position:

There are more applicants than residency positions.

5. Does everyone who passes the medical license examinations gain a residency position in a hospital?:

6. Specialties in which it is most difficult to obtain a position:

Cardiology, Neurosurgery

7. Is there a waiting list for medical graduates who want to begin a residency?:

It depends on the hospital

8. Countries, except this one, in which the medical residency title is recognized:

European Union

9. Requirements for international physicians to be able to work in this country after completing their specialization there:

None

10. References:

http://www.ulb.ac.be/prog/medecine/desdeam/i_3.html
http://www.doh.gov.tw/NewVersion/index.asp

Section F. Participant's Information

Name:

Laura Chamorro/ Ignacio Zapardiel

Country:

Spain

The Database

The Project