UKC Ljubljana Careers, Salaries & Jobs

University Medical Centre Ljubljana (UKC Ljubljana, UKCL) is a public health institution on Zaloška cesta in Ljubljana that provides secondary and tertiary care, teaching and research.

It describes itself as the largest and leading healthcare institution in Slovenia, with almost 9,000 employees.

Its 2025 annual report, as summarised on the hospital's own fact sheet, gives 1,958 beds, 126,915 inpatient episodes, 776,762 outpatient episodes and an average of 8,725 employees, including 1,569 doctors and dentists and 3,582 nursing staff.

The hospital traces its history to the Civil Hospital founded in Ljubljana in 1786. The modern central building of the Clinical Centre opened on 29 November 1975, and the Government established the public institution Klinični center Ljubljana in 1992. Later additions include the Neurology Clinic building (2007), the Paediatric Clinic (2009), and the emergency centre and rooftop heliport (2013).

For an internationally trained applicant, UKC Ljubljana is unusual among Central European hospitals in having an employment page for foreigners. It points doctors to the Medical Chamber of Slovenia and nurses to Zbornica - Zveza, and sets out, in Serbian, steps for doctors and secondary-level nurses from Serbia. Vacancies themselves are published through the Employment Service of Slovenia and the hospital's own site.

Founded

1786 (Civil Hospital); public institution established in 1992

Run by

Republic of Slovenia

Leadership

• Tomaž Erjavec, Acting Director General (Generalni direktor UKC Ljubljana, vršilec dolžnosti)
• Gregor Norčič, Medical Director (Strokovni direktor UKC Ljubljana)
• Zdenka Mrak, Chief Nurse (Glavna medicinska sestra UKC Ljubljana)

Switchboard

+386 1 522 50 50

• Internal medicine

  The Internal Medicine Clinic covers gastroenterology, haematology, hypertension, intensive internal medicine, pulmonary diseases, rheumatology, vascular diseases, geriatrics and poisoning.

• Surgery

  The Surgical Clinic includes abdominal, thoracic, cardiac and vascular surgery, trauma, plastic and reconstructive surgery and burns, neurosurgery, urology, and maxillofacial and oral surgery.

• Neurology

  The Neurology Clinic, in its own building since 2007, provides emergency neurology, vascular neurology and neurological intensive care, neurophysiology and neurorehabilitation.

• Gynaecology and obstetrics

  The Gynaecology Clinic includes the Ljubljana maternity hospital (perinatology), reproductive medicine and gynaecology.

• Paediatrics

  The Paediatric Clinic, opened in 2009, covers paediatric haematology and oncology, neonatology, gastroenterology, pulmonology, allergology, neurology and child psychiatry.

• Emergency care

  The emergency centre and the rooftop heliport opened in 2013 let helicopters bring patients from across Slovenia directly to the hospital.

• UKC Ljubljana has a page called Employment for foreigners (Zaposlitev za tujce). In Slovenian it says the hospital needs good staff in both nursing and medicine and that staff from South-East Europe stay close to home. It links doctors and dentists to the Medical Chamber of Slovenia's guidance on recognising foreign qualifications, and nurses and midwives to Zbornica - Zveza's guidance on registration and licences. Questions go to the hospital's employment service.
• A Serbian-language section sets out steps for two profiles. For a specialist doctor, the hospital first issues an invitation, and the doctor then applies, with the hospital, to the Ministry of Health for temporary permission to practise, followed by a single residence and work permit or an EU Blue Card. For a secondary-level nurse, the steps are an education assessment by the ENIC-NARIC centre, a Ministry of Health decision on the traineeship and professional exam, a Slovenian certificate at B2, the professional exam and entry in the Zbornica - Zveza register, before applying for an advertised post.
• That page refers to laws in force before the 2025 Act on the recognition of professional qualifications in healthcare (ZPPKZD), which now governs third-country recognition. Use the hospital's page to understand the order of steps, and check the current Ministry of Health procedure for the details.
• UKC Ljubljana advertises vacancies through the Employment Service of Slovenia (ESS) and may also post them on its own website and social media. It also offers scholarships. Under the ZPPKZD, a public health institution that offers you a job pays for one Slovenian course and one language test.

• Recognition: a third-country qualification must be recognised by the Ministry of Health under the ZPPKZD. The decision can require up to five supplementary exams, a full or partial traineeship and the professional exam, within a deadline of no more than three years.

• Registration and licence: doctors and dentists then register with the Medical Chamber of Slovenia, and nurses and midwives with Zbornica - Zveza. Doctors, dentists, graduate nurses and graduate midwives also need a licence.

• Slovenian for doctors: C1 for speaking and B2 for writing, for doctors in direct contact with patients.

• Slovenian for nurses: Zbornica - Zveza states B2 as the general minimum for health workers, and C1 speaking with B2 writing for graduate nurses and midwives in direct contact with patients. Until 31 December 2027, B2 is accepted for graduate nurses and midwives, and B1 for nursing technicians and nursing assistants. English tests do not count.

• Residence and work: a single residence and work permit, applied for at a Slovenian mission abroad or in some cases an administrative unit in Slovenia, with the Employment Service's consent. Doctors and other graduates with a qualifying contract can apply for an EU Blue Card instead.

• Invited specialists: a specialist doctor working under a Ministry of Health permit for up to 12 months does not have to prove Slovenian; the employer must ensure communication with patients and records are in Slovenian.

1. 1

   1. Read the hospital's page for foreigners

   Start with Zaposlitev za tujce on kclj.si for the order of steps, then check the current Ministry of Health recognition procedure under the ZPPKZD for your profession.
2. 2

   2. Apply for recognition and start Slovenian

   Send the Ministry of Health your application with sworn Slovenian translations and the administrative fee. Start learning Slovenian at once, because the C1 or B2 requirement usually sets the pace.
3. 3

   3. Find a vacancy

   Search the Employment Service of Slovenia for UKC Ljubljana posts, or check Prosta delovna mesta on kclj.si. You can email the employment service to ask about a specific vacancy.
4. 4

   4. Apply within the deadline

   Send your application to the address in the advert by post, by email if the advert gives one, or in person at the HR department's employment unit on Bohoričeva ulica 28, on working days from 7.00 to 15.00.
5. 5

   5. Selection and interview

   Applications that meet the conditions go to the clinic that advertised the post, which reviews them and invites candidates to interview. Selected candidates have a medical examination and psychological testing before the selection decision.
6. 6

   6. Permit, contract and start

   With an offer, apply for the single residence and work permit or an EU Blue Card. Before you start, complete the infection prevention and occupational safety training and tests, then sign the contract.

• Lowest pay grade

  €1,277.72 a month gross

  Set at the 2025 minimum wage, as the government states for the new pay scale.

• Highest basic salary

  €8,821 a month gross

  Government figure for the top of the 2025 scale.

• Adjustment from 1 April 2026

  +0.9%

  Pay grade values and basic salaries rose by 0.9% under Article 104 of the ZSTSPJS.

• Doctors and nurses: Set by the pay grade of the postAsk the hospital for the grade and basic salary.
• Trainees and specialty trainees: Employed and paid during trainingThe ZPPKZD says you are employed on a trainee, sekundarij or specialty trainee post while completing supplementary conditions.