How can a foreigner start working as a general practitioner in Poland?

Internal medicine is one of the most common medical specialties. Physicians in this field work in public and private outpatient clinics and hospitals, hospices, sanatoriums, boarding facilities, and similar institutions. The large number of available positions for general practitioners in Poland is also due to the current staffing crisis in the healthcare sector. The government has decided to address this by attracting specialists from other countries, primarily from the post-Soviet space.

Our company is directly involved in this process, helping candidates from Ukraine and Belarus find suitable employment as general practitioners in Poland, with guaranteed stable salaries and broad opportunities for career advancement.

Scope of responsibilities of a general practitioner in Poland

These physicians are rightly considered specialists with a broad scope of practice. A general practitioner is the first point of contact, focusing on disease prevention, early diagnosis, initial patient assessment, and referral to narrow specialists.

Accordingly, working as a general practitioner in Poland involves:

• taking medical history through visual examination, patient interviews, and reviewing medical records;

• referring patients for laboratory, instrumental, and imaging tests to establish a preliminary diagnosis;

• directing patients to the appropriate specialist for further treatment;

• assessing the risk of developing chronic conditions;

• discussing disease prevention with patients, including vaccination;

• issuing referrals for inpatient treatment.

In addition, general practitioners prescribe medications, refer patients for rehabilitation, physiotherapy, or sanatorium treatment, and issue medical leave certificates.

Who is eligible to work as a general practitioner in medical institutions in Poland?

Such a broad range of professional responsibilities requires the physician to have solid medical knowledge and sufficient work experience in the specialty. Therefore, candidates for this position must meet the following requirements:

• hold a higher medical education diploma;

• have at least 3 years of work experience as a general practitioner within the last 5 years. This may include work as a general practitioner or family doctor;

• be fluent in Polish, including professional medical language;

• possess suitable personal qualities — kindness, communication skills, responsibility, conscientiousness, a willingness and desire to work for the benefit of patients, and others.

For those wondering about the need for diploma nostrification: it can be completed after employment. We are ready to assist foreign physicians in completing this procedure quickly.

Immediately after starting work in a Polish medical institution, a general practitioner can expect a minimum salary. In 2025, it is 9,700 PLN gross per month. This amount will increase with growing professional experience in Poland.

In addition, a foreign physician working as a general practitioner in Poland receives additional pay for 24-hour on-call duties, extra shifts, and other work exceeding the legally established eight-hour day. Combined with social benefits, excellent technical support, and free uniforms, this allows you to fully appreciate the high standards of treatment afforded to valuable specialists in Polish healthcare.