- Postgraduate training -

Personnal accounts – Switzerland

SWITZERLAND (GENEVA)

Psychiatry, Fellowship in Emergency Hospitalization

ACADEMIC
Start	Initiated application procedure in November 2022 for fellowship starting on November 1, 2023.
Support
Choice of site/specialization	Psychiatry, Emergency Hospitalization at Geneva University Hospitals (Hôpitaux universitaires de Genève, or HUG) Contact via rotation supervisors and my hospital’s department head, fellowship that could be paid.
Interview	Yes
Exams required	No, but had to apply for partial recognition of medical degree via the Swiss Medical Professions Board, Mebeko (costs involved in the process, and for acquiring various documents).
Pay/Bursary	Work contract with HUG, so salary in Swiss francs
Prior rotation	Not required
Work permit/visa	Application with the assistance of HUG HR department for an L permit (Work authorization valid for 1 year) If you have European citizenship, you can apply for another type of permit (B, I think).
Visitor’s visa	Via L permit
PERSONAL
Health insurance	On site, after receiving the resident permit, you have to take out basic health insurance (LAMal). It is possible to obtain an exemption, but very complicated. I kept up my Quebec insurance on top of it.
Car	Didn’t need a car, Geneva’s public transit system is efficient; with a contract with Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), you can be partially reimbursed for the cost of an annual Geneva public transit system (TPG) pass. I advise applying for a SwissPass Half Fare Travelcard, via the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS) site or at the main Geneva railway station (Cornavin), to qualify for 50% off trains throughout Switzerland and on cable cars.
Bank account	Without a visa or proof that a visa application is under way, it’s hard to open an account with a Swiss bank. Some banks accept the L permit: Post Finances and UBS to my knowledge. I use an online bank, Revolut, to receive my salary, but it’s a little complicated paying some Swiss bills.
Accommodation	Possibility of applying for a furnished studio apartment with HUG partners (c. 1,600 Swiss francs per month for all-inclusive 1½). Otherwise Airbnb, where I found my apartment. What’s more complicated with Airbnb is that the owner/lessor has to provide you with proof of accommodation for the resident permit application. In my case, the owner agreed to give me a lease. For the visa, I needed to have an address in Switzerland to apply, so I had to find my accommodation quickly (6 months before I arrived). Note that the housing situation is complicated in Geneva, rents are high, and supply is limited.
Driver’s licence
Quebec Health Insurance Board (RAMQ)	Before leaving on a fellowship, ask RAMQ for an exception to the Presence in Quebec rule.
Téléphone	Some Swiss telephone companies don’t let you take a phone plan with them until you have a resident permit. In my case, I went with Swipe, and didn’t need a resident permit to have access to a plan.
Email	Having a valid Swiss address is essential, particularly for applying for a resident permit and communicating with the Canton authorities. Some red tape can be dealt with by mail (e.g., resident permit (visa) sent by mail, reporting arrival in Switzerland to the Canton authorities by mail, etc. ).
SPOUSE
Procedure

SWITZERLAND (GENEVA)

Medical Simulation

ACADEMIC
Start	Started application procedure 18 months ahead of time.
Support	Three mentors from University of Sherbrooke. Associate Dean in Montérégie, where I will be practising.
Choice of site/specialization	First I wrote to three simulation centres, including one where I had a very indirect contact via a University of Sherbrooke mentor. Then I sent a cover letter, resumé, and three letters of recommendation.
Interview	Two interviews ahead of time with the site via Zoom were organized by email. The site put me in touch with HR and the university’s assistance centre for help with red tape and immigration.
Exams required	Canadian MD and General Internal Medicine certification from the Royal College were all I needed.
Pay/Bursary	Bursary from the University of Sherbrooke Society of Physicians (SMUS); as I worked for 12 months prior to my fellowship, the bursary was deemed to be a salary, and was therefore taxable. I also had a bursary from the Quebec Association of Internal Medicine Specialists (ASMIQ). The host site paid nothing.
Prior rotation	Not required
Work permit/visa	L Permit. To be applied for as far ahead as possible, as the process can be onerous, and it can take as much as 6 months to be issued.
Visitor’s visa	See Work permit above.
PERSONAL
Health insurance	Required to pay local health insurance premiums (RAMQ not recognized as equivalent), c. $600/month.
Car	Not necessary, as I was living in downtown Geneva, which has excellent public transit. It was easy to rent a car when necessary for personal getaways.
Bank account	Need to open a Swiss bank account for transactions with landlord and several Swiss authorities. A number of banks refuse to open accounts for L Permit-type stays, but PostFinance Suisse will do so. No-fee account for students. I suggest having a credit card with no international conversion fee.
Accommodation	The cheapest way is via Marketplace, but it’s not easy remotely. Personally, I selected accommodation via a real estate agency (Comptoir immobilier), which allowed me to visit remotely via videoconference. Furnished apartments (all inclusive, with decorations, crockery, furniture, but not bedding or towels) are very expensive in Geneva (between $3,000 and $7,000 a month).
Driver’s licence	As a precaution, I took out an International Driving Permit (IDP) in Quebec, but my provincial driving licence was always accepted.
Quebec Health Insurance Board (RAMQ)	I applied for a RAMQ waiver, which proved unnecessary as it’s not recognized by Switzerland.
Téléphone	I retained my Canadian telephone number with my SIM card (very practical for dual authentication), and I took an eSIM with a local number on my cellphone at the same time. Cellphone packages are very affordable, unlimited usage for $30 a month.
Email	To keep things simple, I had Canada Post forward my mail to my parents during my absence.
SPOUSE
Procedure	My spouse, a respirologist, took an 8-month sabbatical, and returned to Quebec before me. As we were married, she was also able to obtain an L Permit. Otherwise, with no work or active studies, she wouldn’t have been able to stay more than 3 months out of 6 in the Schengen area (most of Europe).