Oslo University Hospital Careers, Salaries & Jobs

Oslo University Hospital (Oslo universitetssykehus, OUS) is a hospital trust owned by the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority. It was formed by merging Aker, Rikshospitalet and Ullevål university hospitals, and includes the Norwegian Radium Hospital.

Its 2025 annual report describes it as Norway's largest university hospital, with about 25,000 employees including temporary staff, activity at more than 40 locations and 15 clinical divisions.

The trust says it has nearly all regional treatment functions and most of the multi-regional and national functions in the region. In 2025 it reported nearly 60,000 operations, more than 500,000 bed days, nearly 34,000 intensive care days and more than 1.1 million outpatient consultations. In Newsweek's World's Best Hospitals 2026, Oslo Universitetssykehus, Rikshospitalet was ranked 2nd in Norway.

OUS is also a major training employer. Its annual report says it trains doctors in all hospital specialties, and in 2025 it had the equivalent of 720 full-time doctors in specialisation (LIS 2/3) and 48 LIS1 posts.

For an internationally trained applicant, the hospital's English page is direct: the working language is Norwegian, healthcare roles need Norwegian authorisation or a temporary licence before employment, and you must apply to advertised posts through Webcruiter. It does not accept open applications.

Run by

Oslo universitetssykehus HF, owned by the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority (Helse Sør-Øst)

Leadership

• Bjørn Atle Lein Bjørnbeth, Administrerende direktør (chief executive)
• Anders Mohn Frafjord, Viseadministrerende direktør (deputy chief executive)

Awards and rankings

• Newsweek World's Best Hospitals 2026: Oslo Universitetssykehus, Rikshospitalet ranked 2nd in Norway (Newsweek).

Switchboard

+47 91 50 27 70

• National and multi-regional functions

  The trust says most of the region's multi-regional and national treatment functions are concentrated at OUS.

• Organ transplantation

  Norway's national treatment service for organ transplantation is located at Rikshospitalet, covering kidney, heart, lung, liver and pancreas transplants.

• Cancer and proton therapy

  The Norwegian Radium Hospital site is one of Norway's two proton therapy centres, treating patients from the Northern and South-Eastern health regions since 2025.

• Emergency preparedness and prehospital care

  OUS is the emergency preparedness hospital for South-Eastern Norway and runs ambulance services and the emergency medical communication centre for Oslo, Akershus and Glåmdalen.

• Specialist training

  OUS trains doctors in all hospital specialties and in occupational medicine.

• Research

  The hospital says it carries out about half of the medical and health research in Norwegian hospitals.

• OUS does not describe an international recruitment programme. Its 'Work' page in English for job seekers explains the conditions: Norwegian is the working language and your Norwegian must be high enough to ensure reliability in patient care. Danish and Swedish are accepted as academic languages, and English is accepted in some positions.
• Healthcare personnel must have Norwegian authorisation or a temporary licence from Helsedirektoratet before employment. OUS points applicants to the Directorate for this.
• All vacancies are on the Webcruiter recruitment portal, and most are advertised only in Norwegian. OUS says it does not accept open applications.
• Before you start you need a residence permit (or, for EU/EEA citizens, a registration certificate) and a tax card or D-number from the Norwegian Tax Administration.

• Norwegian authorisation. Doctors, nurses, midwives and the other authorised professions need authorisation (autorisasjon) or a licence (lisens) from the Norwegian Directorate of Health (Helsedirektoratet). With an education from outside the EU/EEA, the Directorate first decides whether your education is equivalent, then you must complete the additional requirements: Norwegian at B2, a course in Norwegian health services and legislation, and for doctors, nurses, dentists and pharmacists a medicines-handling course, plus a professional test (fagprøve) for doctors, nurses and dentists. You have three years to complete them once your education is accepted.

• Norwegian. OUS says Norwegian is its working language. The authorisation route requires Norwegian at B2 on all four parts of the test.

• Residence permit. Non-EU/EEA citizens use UDI's skilled worker permit, which needs a concrete job offer and, where the job requires authorisation, Helsedirektoratet authorisation. If you apply from abroad, the employer first confirms the job offer to UDI and gives you a code for your application.

• Processing time. Helsedirektoratet states a processing time of 23 months for applicants educated outside the EU/EEA, and says a job offer is not grounds for priority. Plan your job search around this.

• Tax card and D-number. OUS requires a tax card or D-number for foreign workers before employment.

1. 1

   Apply for authorisation

   Apply to Helsedirektoratet for authorisation. With an education from outside the EU/EEA, expect an equivalence decision and then the additional requirements.
2. 2

   Learn Norwegian to B2

   Start early. Helsedirektoratet requires B2 and recommends starting Norwegian before you apply; the Norwegian test cannot be taken outside Norway.
3. 3

   Find a post on Webcruiter

   Search OUS vacancies on Webcruiter. Most adverts are in Norwegian and you must apply to a specific post; open applications are not accepted.
4. 4

   Interview and offer

   If you are offered a post, the employer confirms the job offer to UDI if you apply for a permit from abroad.
5. 5

   Permit and tax registration

   Apply for UDI's skilled worker permit, or register as an EU/EEA citizen, and get a tax card or D-number before you start.