Important information
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Requirements
Where is it?
Work as a doctor, dentist, pharmacist or midwife
What is it?
Do you have a diploma that authorizes you to work in your country as a doctor, dentist, pharmacist or midwife? You can practice your profession in France, under certain conditions and after a process in several stages.
It is mandatory to have the B2 language level in French to work in France as a doctor, dentist, pharmacist or midwife.
To read: the Refugees.info sheet "Becoming a nurse in France"
- If you have a pharmacist's diploma that allows you to work in your home country, you can do a short training course to become a pharmacy assistant.
Read the information sheet entitled "Becoming a pharmacy assistant in France".
- If you have started or finished a specialty degree in medicine or pharmacy in your country, you can follow specialty training in France allowing you to work as an "intern".
To read: the Refugees.info sheet "Training while working for specialist doctors or specialist pharmacists"
How to do it?
You can request a temporary authorization to practice , issued by the Regional Health Agency (ARS) of your place of residence, to be recruited by an establishment as an " associate practitioner ".
Good to know : Having a temporary authorization to exercise is not mandatory . But it can be interesting to understand the functioning of the French health system and its codes, while working and being paid. This also allows you to deepen your level of medical French. It is therefore a good preparation for the following stages of the exercise course.
Here are the different steps to obtain the temporary authorization to practice:
- Find a hospital that welcomes you as an "associate practitioner" .
- You will find by clicking here (see appendix 2) the form that the establishment must complete (= host commitment form).
- Send your file to the host establishment which has accepted you at least six months before the desired date of taking office by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt.
- You will find the list of all the documents requested for your file by clicking here . Don't forget to add the application form and the establishment's hosting commitment.
- Your host institution will then be responsible for sending your file to the National Management Center (NMC).
- After checking your file, the managing director of the ARS will give you (or not) a temporary authorization to practice.
Good to know : All supporting documents must be written in French or translated by a translator approved by the French courts or, for candidates residing abroad, have been the subject of a translation certified by the French consular authorities.
> To read also: the Refugees.info sheet "Requesting the official translation of a document"
You must register online on the common CNG/ARS platform . Please note that registrations only take place once a year!
You will have to send them your registration file, attesting in particular to a B2 level of French. You will find the list of required documents by clicking here.
At the end of your registration, it is preferable to print and keep the acknowledgment of receipt of your registration.
The exam consists of two written tests: one of practical knowledge and one of fundamental knowledge. Each specialty has specific tests. You will need the minimum mark of 10/20 to pass the tests.
To prepare for the tests, you can watch the subjects of the tests already taken on the CNG website . You can find the subjects in the section: "How to access the annals?".
After passing the KVT, to work as an "associate practitioner", you must have a reception commitment from a hospital establishment.
You will find by clicking here the form that the establishment must complete for your hosting commitment (see appendix 2).
You will then have to complete a skills consolidation course as an associate practitioner, the duration of which varies according to the profession:
- two years for doctors and pharmacists,
- one year for dental surgeons and midwives.
You must make a request to the National Management Center (NMC) by providing these documents , as well as the registration form . They must be written in French or translated by a certified translator.
> To read also: the Refugees.info sheet "Requesting the official translation of a document"
The practice authorisation committee will assess your skills. In particular, it will base its assessment on the evaluation report completed by your manager from the organisation where you completed the skills consolidation programme.
CAUTION: The evaluation report is not the same for the four medical professions. You must provide the correct document to your manager. You can find it in the annexes to this decree.
What happens next?
Congratulations! Your application has been accepted and you will receive your definitive licence to practise.
You can now work in France, in both the public and private sectors. To do so, register with the "Order" for your profession.
Here is the list of Orders and their website:
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