Tartu University Hospital Careers, Salaries & Jobs

Tartu University Hospital (Tartu Ülikooli Kliinikum) traces its history to the clinicum of the University of Tartu, officially opened on 1 May 1804.

The present Foundation Tartu University Hospital was established on 22 December 1998 by the Government of Estonia, the University of Tartu and the City of Tartu.

The hospital describes itself as the largest health care provider in Estonia and the only academic hospital in the country. Its 2024 annual report records 963 beds, more than 5,000 employees and more than 750,000 contacts with outpatient, day care, inpatient, dental and emergency services in 2024, plus 305 research publications and 111 new studies started.

It is the only institution in Estonia that performs organ transplantation, it receives children with congenital heart disease from across the country, and its centre of clinical genetics serves the whole Estonian population. It is the main practice base for the University of Tartu Faculty of Medicine, for residents and for nursing students.

For an internationally trained professional, Tartu offers academic medicine in Estonia's second city, but entry runs through the same national system as everywhere else in Estonia: Health Board registration, Estonian at C1 for doctors or B2 for nurses, and a residence and work permit if you are not an EU citizen.

Founded

1804 (the University of Tartu clinicum opened on 1 May 1804); the present foundation was established on 22 December 1998

Run by

Foundation Tartu University Hospital, established by the Government of Estonia, the University of Tartu and the City of Tartu

Leadership

• Priit Perens, Chairman of the Executive Board
• Dr Liis Salumäe, Member of the Executive Board, Chief Medical Officer
• Saima Hinno, Member of the Executive Board, Head of Nursing and Patient Experience
• Joel Starkopf, Member of the Executive Board, Head of Research and Development

Switchboard

+372 731 8111 (general information)

• Organ transplantation

  The only institution in Estonia performing organ transplants. Its history page records its first kidney, liver, lung and simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplants.

• Paediatric cardiology

  Children with congenital heart disease are referred to Tartu from all over Estonia, according to the hospital.

• Clinical genetics

  The hospital's centre of clinical genetics serves the whole Estonian population.

• Women's Clinic

  Obstetrics and gynaecology, including in vitro fertilisation, which the hospital's history lists among the Women's Clinic's milestones.

• Children's Clinic

  Paediatric inpatient and outpatient care within the university hospital.

• Haematology and bone marrow transplantation

  The hospital's history records the first bone marrow transplant in Tartu, alongside its wider tertiary haematology services.

• Emergency medicine

  An emergency department serving Tartu and southern Estonia.

• Tartu University Hospital does not publish an international recruitment programme, relocation help or visa sponsorship offer for doctors or nurses, and it names no recruitment agency. Its English 'Why work for our team?' page describes benefits for all employees and invites people interested in working there to contact its HR team by email.
• The hospital says it pays a higher salary than the average in the Estonian medical sector, offers medical staff remuneration that depends on work experience, 7 calendar days of additional holiday and the chance to apply for free time for research, and offers nursing staff rotations and study leave.
• Job adverts are published in Estonian on its vacancies page, grouped for doctors, nurses, care staff and support staff. International applicants usually reach the hospital after completing the Health Board's process: Harno evaluation, the compliance examination in Estonian for non-EU graduates and entry in the register of healthcare professionals.
• For the compliance examination, doctors and dentists deal with the University of Tartu Faculty of Medicine, the hospital's academic partner, which publishes its own fee page for the examination.

• Health Board registration. Doctors, nurses and midwives educated outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland have their education evaluated by Harno and are referred by the Health Board to a compliance examination of supervised work and a theory exam, both in Estonian, before entry in the register. Registration costs €260.

• Estonian. The government regulation on language proficiency requires C1 Estonian from doctors and at least B2 from nurses and midwives.

• An Estonian personal identification code, which the Health Board says you need for the supervised practice period.

• Residence and work permit. Non-EU citizens apply to the Police and Border Guard Board, usually with the employer holding permission from the Unemployment Insurance Fund. The salary criterion at the 1.0 rate is €2,092 a month from 5 March 2026.

• EU, EEA and Swiss qualifications are recognised through the Health Board under the EU directive, but you still need Estonian to work with patients.

1. 1

   Start the Health Board process

   Read the Health Board's information for doctors, dentists, nurses and midwives educated outside the EU, and have Harno evaluate your education.
2. 2

   Reach the required Estonian level

   C1 for doctors, B2 for nurses and midwives. Harno's state language exams are free.
3. 3

   Pass the compliance examination and register

   Complete supervised practice and the theory exam in Estonian, then apply for entry in the register of healthcare professionals.
4. 4

   Check the vacancies page

   Open posts are listed at kliinikum.ee/toopakkumised, in Estonian, by category: doctor, nurse, care staff and support staff.
5. 5

   Apply or contact HR

   Apply to the advert, or write to the HR contact given on the English careers page if you want to ask about opportunities before a post opens.
6. 6

   Arrange your permit before starting

   Agree with the hospital how your residence permit or short-term employment registration will be handled.

• Doctor (arst)

  €20.96 an hour

  Collective agreement minimum.

• Resident doctor

  €20.96 an hour

  Equal to the doctor minimum.

• Specialist doctor (eriarst)

  €22.81 an hour

• Nurse (õde)

  €12.79 an hour

• Specialist nurse and midwife

  €13.27 an hour

• Night work (22:00 to 06:00)

  At least 1.42 times pay

  Weekend hours at least 1.25 times.