Background: There is little knowledge available about how it feels for an international medical graduate arriving in Norway. We have investigated how the initial period as an employee of the Norwegian health services is perceived.
Material and method: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 international medical graduates who had foreign training and citizenship. They had worked as doctors in Norway for less than two years. Transcriptions of the interviews were analysed using the Systematic Text Condensation method.
Results: Their background for working in Norway varied. Some had an affiliation to the country and a social network, which appeared to be a support during the initial period. Many perceived the authorisation process as bureaucratic and as throwing suspicion on them. The doctors felt that they could cope with most of their work assignments, but reported having faced challenges in terms of language, a lack of insight into systems and uncertainty regarding what was expected of the doctor's role in a Norwegian context. There was also uncertainty associated with a perceived absence of collegial support. Because of the availability of jobs, some had adjusted their career plans towards psychiatry, geriatrics or general practice.
Interpretation: It appears that preparatory measures such as training courses, tests and the authorisation process fail to provide the practice-related experience and local knowledge that many doctors feel that they need in their new job situation. Measures such as language training and introduction to systems would be likely to improve their general well-being as well as integration.