Inselspital Bern Careers, Salaries & Jobs

The Inselspital, Universitätsspital Bern, founded in 1354, is the university hospital of Bern and the centre of the Insel Gruppe. It describes itself as a medical, high-technology and knowledge centre with around 11,000 staff, providing highly specialised tertiary care including transplant medicine.

In 2025 the Insel Gruppe treated 55,802 acute inpatients and 893,207 outpatients.

For staff trained abroad the Insel Gruppe lists a clear benefit: it pays the cost of recognising a foreign health diploma with the Swiss Red Cross (SRK), which recognises nursing, midwifery, physiotherapy and other non-university health qualifications. It also offers staff rooms and flats, a 13th month's salary and 27 to 32 days of holiday depending on age.

The hurdle for applicants from outside the EU and EFTA is immigration, not the hospital. Switzerland admits third-country nationals only as highly qualified workers within quotas, and only if the employer could not find a suitable person in Switzerland or the EU and EFTA. The Insel Gruppe also says it cannot consider non-EU/EFTA applicants for internships or electives.

Pay and conditions follow the collective agreement for Bern hospitals (GAV Berner Spitäler und Kliniken), which covers the Insel Gruppe and sets binding salaries for doctors in specialist training.

Founded

1354

Run by

Insel Gruppe AG

Leadership

• Prof. Dr. med. Jennifer Diedler, Vorsitzende der Geschäftsleitung / CEO, Insel Gruppe
• Prof. Dr. med. Martin Fiedler, MBA, Ärztlicher Direktor
• Dr. Paula Adomeit, Direktorin Pflege

Switchboard

+41 31 632 21 11

• Transplant medicine

  Highly specialised tertiary care, which Inselspital names explicitly in its self-description.

• Stroke Center

  Inselspital describes it as Switzerland's largest stroke centre, treating more than 3,000 stroke patients a year, and the first certified in the university sector in 2013.

• University Comprehensive Cancer Center Inselspital (UCI)

  Coordinates cancer research, diagnosis, therapy and aftercare across the Insel Gruppe, with twelve treatment centres.

• Emergency medicine

  The University Department of Emergency Medicine, open around the clock.

• Paediatric emergency centre

  Treats more than 25,000 children and adolescents aged 0 to 16 each year.

• The Insel Gruppe lists among its benefits that it pays the cost of SRK recognition of foreign diplomas in the health professions. It does not describe an overseas recruitment programme.
• For specialist nursing training, the Insel Gruppe accepts nurses with a tertiary-level Swiss qualification or a foreign diploma recognised by the SRK, but asks holders of recognised foreign diplomas for at least one year in acute care in a Swiss hospital and German at C1.
• Applicants from non-EU/EFTA countries cannot be considered for internships or electives, according to the Insel Gruppe. For paid posts, a valid work permit is needed, which for third-country nationals depends on the employer passing the Swiss priority and quota rules.
• EU and EFTA citizens benefit from free movement. Nurses and doctors from elsewhere need Swiss recognition and must count as highly qualified workers under SEM's rules before a permit can be granted.

• Nurses with a foreign diploma need recognition from the Swiss Red Cross. The compulsory, free PreCheck takes up to four weeks; the SRK then gives a first decision within four months of a complete file, and may require compensatory measures. It asks for a B2 certificate in German, French or Italian.

• Doctors with a diploma from outside the EU and EFTA cannot have it recognised directly. MEBEKO can register it in the medical professions register if it entitles you to supervised practice at home and meets minimum training requirements; the canton then decides whether you may work under supervision. Fees are CHF 800 to 1,200. Independent practice needs a Swiss federal diploma.

• The Insel Gruppe asks for German at C1 for its specialist nursing courses; its job adverts state the language needed for each post.

• Non-EU and non-EFTA nationals can only be admitted as highly qualified workers, within annual quotas set by the Federal Council. The employer must show that no suitable person could be recruited from Switzerland or the EU and EFTA, register the vacancy with the regional employment centre, and offer pay and conditions customary for the region, profession and sector, according to the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM).

• EU and EFTA citizens benefit from the free movement of persons. This is not legal advice: the employer files the permit application with the canton, and SEM makes the final decision.

1. 1

   Get recognition first

   Nurses complete the SRK PreCheck and recognition; doctors apply to MEBEKO for registration of a third-state diploma.
2. 2

   Reach the language level

   At least B2 for SRK recognition and MedReg language entry; check the level in each advert.
3. 3

   Search open posts

   Apply through the Insel Gruppe job portal at jobs.inselgruppe.ch or send a speculative application.
4. 4

   Interview and offer

   The Insel Gruppe pays the cost of SRK recognition for staff who need it.
5. 5

   Permit

   For non-EU/EFTA nationals, the employer applies to the canton of Bern, and SEM gives final approval within the federal quotas.
6. 6

   Register on arrival

   Register with your commune within 14 days of arrival; you can start work only after registering.

Monthly amounts

• Doctor in specialist training, year 1

  CHF 7,223.60

  13 payments a year, GAV Berner Spitäler und Kliniken (update of 1 April 2023).

• Doctor in specialist training, year 6

  CHF 8,307.15

  Fixed annual steps of 3% of the starting salary.

• Salary band 21 (range)

  CHF 7,205.60 to 11,528.90

  Annual equivalent CHF 93,672.30 to 149,875.90.

• Nurses: Set by GAV band for the functionThe GAV places each function in a band; check the band and salary in your offer.