In Saudi Arabia, the credentialing and privileging procedures for doctors are separate; the former the duty of the regulatory authority and the latter the responsibility of the employing hospital or clinic. Both processes must be satisfied to secure a job.This article explains the requirements and procedures.
Doctors who are considering work in the Saudi Arabian medical sector must satisfy the requirements for professional registration and a licence to practise as a physician in the chosen speciality at the appropriate level. Saudi Arabia has a single medical regulatory authority, the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, which reviews physician credentials and grants licences to practice medicine in the Kingdom.
However, it must be stressed that a successful application for a professional licence may not automatically guarantee eligibility for a job in the same speciality and at the same level, because each hospital and healthcare facility has its own unique privileging process which determines the doctor's right to receive privileges to practise his or her speciality in that particular environment.
In the public medical sector, the King Faisal Specialist Hospitals and military hospitals have the most stringent privileging requirements, matched only by some of the larger private sector hospitals.
Here is an overview of both procedures: credentialing and privileging.
The Saudi Commission for Health Specialties is responsible for the assessment of applications for registration as a physician and for maintaining a register of practising physicians. The process of registration is described in detail in our article titled Registration of Medical Professionals in Saudi Arabia and candidates who are required to take a prometric examination, can review our guide Saudi Commission for Health Specialties Prometric Exam.
The Medical Credentials required for a consultant licence are as follows:
The preferred qualifications are:
UK - Membership / Fellowship of a Medical Royal College and the Certificate of Completion of Training (CCST) or the Certificate of Equivalent Specialist Training (CESR)
USA - American Board Certification
Canada - Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Australia and New Zealand - Fellowship of Medical Royal College
South Africa - Fellowship of the College of Medicine of South Africa and / or MMed
German, Austria, Switzerland - Facharzt
France - DES / DESC
Spain - Spanish Board Certification
Italy - Italian Board Certification
Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland - State Board Certification
Netherlands - Dutch Board Certification
Primary source verification of qualifications, medical licence and certificates of employment must be obtained from the
DataFlow company before applying for a licence. Our
guide to obtaining a DataFlow Report details the procedures.
Unlike the credentialing process which is undertaken by a single national regulatory authority, physician privilege assessment is undertaken by individual healthcare facilities for the purpose of verifying and integrating the training and experience of the healthcare practitioner with the scope of services offered by the facility.
The requirements and expectations of hospitals vary considerably and applicants should always check the job adverts and job descriptions (where available) for details of the specific qualifications, experience and scope of practice the hospital seeks for each role.
Hospitals can restrict privileges and employment opportunities to doctors who hold specific qualifications, have a minimum duration of experience in their speciality in independent practice post specialist board and have performed a minimum number of procedures. In assessing candidate's applications for employment, healthcare facilities may request sight of surgical log books or ask candidates to complete detailed forms about procedural competency.
The major public and private sector hospitals will generally expect:
Candidates for medical jobs in Saudi Arabia may find themselves in the situation where they are granted a licence to practice as a consultant in the country but do not meet the privileging requirements of the hospital where they wish to work due to the hospital refusing to accept qualifications from some countries or demanding more post specialisation experience, or not employing non Arabic speakers in certain roles.
If you are uncertain about meeting the credentialing criteria for a medical licence or the privileging criteria for a job, please contact us and our expert recruiters will be delighted to advise and assist you.
You can browse advertised jobs in Saudi Arabia and apply for them on line with your curriculum vitae (CV) and also register your CV and sign up for job alerts.
Read more about working in Saudi Arabia in our locations and news and insights sections of this website.
If you are interested to read about the experiences, tips and insights of others who have made the move to Saudi Arabia or other countries in the Middle East, read our job search success studies.
From time to time, we have some events about working in Saudi Arabia so check out our events page for details.
Ready for a change? Whether you’re looking for higher compensation, greater autonomy, a better work-life balance, or just a change in scenery, we have job opportunities in wonderful locations across the world. Start your medical or dental job search today and embark on your next career move.
We believe everyone deserves to find their dream job. Be the first to hear about new practice opportunities in exciting locations across the world Simply sign up for job alerts in your chosen field, and we will email you when a new job in your specialty becomes available.