Karolinska University Hospital Careers, Salaries & Jobs

Karolinska University Hospital (Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset) is the university hospital of Region Stockholm, working with Karolinska Institutet.

It runs two main sites, in Solna and in Huddinge (Flemingsberg), and says it has about 16,500 staff in around 150 professions. In 2025 it reported 1.6 million outpatient visits, 89,250 inpatient episodes and 61,999 operations.

Karolinska describes itself as a provider of highly specialised care, with centres for cancer, heart and vascular disease, neurology and neurosurgery, transplantation and advanced cell and gene therapies, and the Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital. In Newsweek's World's Best Hospitals 2026 it was ranked 4th in the world, and the hospital says it was best in Europe for the third time.

For an internationally trained doctor, nurse, midwife or other licensed health professional, Karolinska is clear about what it needs before it can offer you a clinical post: a Swedish licence from Socialstyrelsen, Swedish at CEFR level C1 or higher, and the right to live and work in Sweden. Its working language is Swedish and its vacancies are advertised in Swedish.

There is one route in English: the Clinical Fellowship Program, for licensed doctors and residents affiliated with institutions outside Sweden, which lets fellows work clinically under supervision for 6 to 12 months. It is a training placement, mostly self-financed or funded by the sending institution, not a route to permanent employment.

Founded

2004, when Huddinge University Hospital and Karolinska Hospital merged; the Karolinska Hospital in Solna was inaugurated in 1940

Run by

Region Stockholm

Leadership

• Christophe Pedroletti, Sjukhusdirektör (hospital director)
• Ylva Pernow, Chefläkare (chief medical officer)

Awards and rankings

• Newsweek World's Best Hospitals 2026: ranked 4th in the world (Newsweek); the hospital says it was best in Europe for the third time.
• Newsweek World's Best Smart Hospitals 2025: ranked 13th, as published in Karolinska's news.

Switchboard

+46 8 123 700 00

• Cancer care

  A Comprehensive Cancer Center and a Breast Center, listed among the hospital's specialised care areas.

• Heart and vascular care

  The Heart and Vascular Center, including minimally invasive heart and aortic surgery.

• Neurology and neurosurgery

  Advanced neurosurgery, an Epilepsy Surgery Center, a Movement Disorders Center and Gamma Knife treatment.

• Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital

  Karolinska's children's hospital, part of the university hospital.

• Transplantation

  Organ transplantation, including liver transplantation.

• ATMP Center

  A centre for advanced therapy medicinal products: cell and gene therapies.

• ECMO and trauma care

  Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and trauma care are among the services the hospital lists.

• Karolinska does not describe an international recruitment programme for licensed clinical staff. Its page for people with a foreign degree says that, as well as a Swedish licence, it needs Swedish at C1 or higher on the CEFR scale and Swedish citizenship or an approved residence permit and work permit before it can offer you a job. The working language is Swedish.
• All vacancies longer than six months are advertised, on karolinska.se and on Region Stockholm's shared jobs site, in Swedish. You apply to a specific post; there is no general register for overseas applicants.
• The hospital does not offer clinical training placements (praktik) to students at foreign universities; placements are for students at universities in Stockholm. Socialstyrelsen's clinical training step (praktisk tjänstgöring) is a separate thing that you arrange as part of the licence route.
• For doctors already licensed abroad, the Clinical Fellowship Program offers 6 to 12 months of supervised clinical work for licensed doctors, residents and specialists seeking subspecialty training. English is the working language for fellows (Swedish is an advantage), most fellowships are self-financed or funded by the sending institution, and some departments offer paid positions. In October 2026 the hospital said only gastroenterology was accepting applications and other specialties would open in January 2027.

• Swedish licence (legitimation). Doctors, nurses, midwives and the other regulated professions need a licence from the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen). With a degree from outside the EU and EEA, Socialstyrelsen's route has five steps: education assessment, a proficiency test (kunskapsprov), a course in Swedish laws and regulations, clinical training (praktisk tjänstgöring) and the licence application. Socialstyrelsen says the route usually takes two to four years.

• Swedish at C1. Karolinska asks for Swedish at CEFR C1 or higher. For the licence itself, Socialstyrelsen accepts Swedish 3 or Swedish as a Second Language 3, a C1 test in Swedish, Danish or Norwegian, or certain other proof.

• Work permit. Non-EU citizens need a work and residence permit before starting. The employer starts the application with the Swedish Migration Agency. Since 1 June 2026 the salary must normally be at least 90 per cent of the median, but the Migration Agency lists doctors, dentists and nurses with foreign qualifications who are working towards a Swedish licence as exempt; they need at least 75 per cent of the median (SEK 28,725 a month for applications from 16 June 2026), and pay must still match the collective agreement.

• EU and EEA qualifications. If you trained in the EU or EEA you apply to Socialstyrelsen as EU-educated, and many doctors, nurses and midwives are recognised automatically. You still need Swedish at the level Karolinska requires.

1. 1

   Start your Swedish licence

   Apply to Socialstyrelsen to have your education assessed, then follow its steps: proficiency test, law course and clinical training. You do not need Swedish to apply for the assessment, but later steps are in Swedish.
2. 2

   Reach Swedish C1

   Plan for Swedish at C1 on the CEFR scale. Karolinska lists this as a condition of employment, and Socialstyrelsen needs proof of Swedish with your licence application.
3. 3

   Search Karolinska vacancies

   Vacancies are at karolinska.se/jobba-hos-oss/lediga-jobb and on Region Stockholm's shared jobs site, in Swedish. Posts longer than six months are always advertised.
4. 4

   Apply with full documents

   Complete the application form and attach every certificate the advert asks for. Karolinska says applications without the required documents may not go further.
5. 5

   Interview and checks

   Interviews usually last 45 to 60 minutes, or about 3.5 hours for group interviews. Karolinska checks your licence and work permit before hiring.
6. 6

   Work permit

   If you are not an EU citizen, Karolinska starts your work permit application with the Migration Agency once you have an offer; you complete your part online.