Santaros Klinikos Vilnius Careers, Salaries & Jobs

Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos (VšĮ Vilniaus universiteto ligoninė Santaros klinikos) is the university hospital of Vilnius University.

Its first department opened in November 1980 as the Republican Vilnius Clinical Hospital; it became Santariškių klinikos in the 1990s and took its current name in 2017.

The Universal Lithuanian Encyclopaedia (VLE) describes it as one of the largest health care institutions in Lithuania. It records 12 buildings housing 36 specialised centres and 38 rare disease competence centres, and about 5,900 employees in 2024, including 1,665 doctors and 2,202 nurses.

On average the hospital treats about 1 million outpatients and about 82,000 inpatients a year, performs more than 40,000 complex operations and delivers about 3,500 babies. It performs about 250 heart, cornea, kidney, liver and bone marrow transplants a year, and it carries out complex heart surgery on children and newborns. The Children's Hospital and the State Pathology Centre became branches in 2011.

For an internationally trained professional, Santaros Klinikos is the main tertiary employer in the capital. Entry is through the national route: recognition by the State Accreditation Service for Health Care Activities (VASPVT), a VASPVT practice licence and Lithuanian at B1.

Founded

1980 (first department opened in November 1980)

Run by

Vilnius University and the Ministry of Health of Lithuania (shareholders)

Leadership

• Prof. Tomas Jovaiša, Generalinis direktorius (general director)
• Doc. Donata Ringaitienė, Direktorė medicinai (director for medicine)

Switchboard

+370 5 236 5000

• Organ and tissue transplantation

  About 250 heart, cornea, simultaneous, kidney, liver and related and unrelated donor bone marrow transplants a year, coordinated by an Organ Transplantation Coordination Centre.

• Paediatric and neonatal heart surgery

  The hospital performs the most complex heart operations on children and newborns.

• Haematology, oncology and transfusion medicine

  A dedicated centre for adult haematology and oncology, plus a separate paediatric oncohaematology centre.

• Cardiology, angiology and cardiothoracic surgery

  Separate centres for cardiology and angiology, heart and thoracic surgery, and vascular reconstructive and endovascular surgery.

• Obstetrics, gynaecology and neonatology

  About 3,500 babies are born at the hospital each year, with a neonatology centre and the Santaros fertility centre founded in 2016.

• Rare diseases

  38 rare disease competence centres across adult and paediatric specialties.

• Neurology and neurosurgery

  Separate neurology and neurosurgery centres within the hospital's 36 specialised centres.

• We could not find an international recruitment programme, relocation package or visa sponsorship offer published by Santaros Klinikos, and it names no recruitment agency. Its website, santa.lt, could not be read by our automated checks in October 2026, so we relied on the Universal Lithuanian Encyclopaedia for figures and on the hospital's listed careers pages for how it advertises.
• The hospital advertises posts on its own careers pages, including a list of non-competitive job advertisements, and posts appear on Lithuanian job portals. Adverts are in Lithuanian.
• As for every Lithuanian employer, a clinical post requires a practice licence issued by VASPVT. International applicants therefore usually reach the hospital after VASPVT has recognised their qualification and licensed them.
• Studying at Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine, which uses the hospital as its clinical base, does not by itself give a right to practise; graduates still need the licence and Lithuanian.

• Recognition of your qualification. For qualifications gained outside the EU, VASPVT takes a reasoned decision no later than 3 months after receiving all documents. It can recognise, refuse or set a professional aptitude test.

• A practice licence from VASPVT, such as a medical practice licence for your specialty or a general practice nurse licence.

• Lithuanian at the second state language category, equal to CEFR B1, under Government Resolution No. 1688. VASPVT's licensing guidance asks for the certificate, which the National Education Agency issues.

• Residence permit. Non-EU citizens need a temporary residence permit for work or an EU Blue Card from the Migration Department. The fee for examining a temporary residence permit application is €160, or €320 urgently, and a change of employer costs €100 to examine.

• EU, EEA and Swiss qualifications follow VASPVT's separate recognition services under Directive 2005/36/EC.

1. 1

   Apply to VASPVT for recognition

   Submit your qualification documents to VASPVT and prepare for a possible aptitude test.
2. 2

   Get the B1 Lithuanian certificate

   Sit the state language exam at the second category with the National Education Agency.
3. 3

   Obtain your practice licence

   Apply to VASPVT for the licence that matches your profession and specialty.
4. 4

   Check the hospital's careers pages

   Santaros Klinikos lists posts on santa.lt under careers and non-competitive job advertisements; the adverts are in Lithuanian.
5. 5

   Apply to the advert

   Follow the instructions in each advert, which give the unit, requirements and contact for applications.
6. 6

   Plan your residence permit

   If you are not an EU citizen, agree with the hospital how the temporary residence permit or EU Blue Card will be handled before you start.

• Kauno klinikos general practice nurse

  From €2,088.98 a month

  From €2,387.40 with university education.

• Kauno klinikos rehabilitation hospital doctors

  €2,939.88 to €3,397.13

  Gross a month, Kulautuva Rehabilitation Hospital adverts.

• Doctors at Santaros Klinikos: Set by employerNo figure confirmed.
• Nurses at Santaros Klinikos: Set by employerNo figure confirmed.