How To Hire A Doctor In The UAE?

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 merely needs the visa criteria to be necessary to be satisfied to proceed ahead with the procedure.

The doctor has to have an entry level visa and a health card which shows the individual is not infected. You will only be given a labor card if you have an entry-level visa, health card and documented job contract. You will also require a residence visa for staying in the UAE for longer than 30 days. There may be additional visa criteria which change all the 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 Employers in the UAE

The official language of the UAE is Arabic. But the UAE's most often spoken language is English, particularly in Dubai. In addition to English, the doctor may also be required by the employer to study and comprehend Urdu or Arabic.

Hospitals in the UAE are looking for physicians who don’t allow language be a barrier. You may continue working with only English knowledge. If the doctor speaks Arabic that would be a plus. 88.52% of the country's population consists of immigrants from other countries (UAE demographic data, World Bank, 2020). Hence knowledge of the languages of many countries is encouraged.

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

If the hospital authority or the employer has a list of their requirements, it is easier to recruit. This list should contain things like the number of physicians required, the specialty area, the important roles, etc.

The list assists the recruitment agencies in Dubai to understand the urgency of the requirement to hire physicians. Especially for the hospitals in the UAE, the hospital authorities should acknowledge the medical requirements of the people of the nation. Authority should employ a team of doctors with knowledge and skills such general physicians, gynecologists, ENT specialists, psychiatrists, dermatologists, cardiologists etc.

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

Find out which nations are leading by their database owned by the recruiting companies on the basis of specialism. For example, Denmark has the finest dentists, Poland the best obstetricians and gynaecologists, the US has plenty of Orthopaedic 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 doctors, 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.