Residency in Social Medicine and Public Health
Social Medicine is an ideal specialty training (ST) for physicians educated in another country who prefer to work in English. While proficiency in Swedish is necessary to maximize impact in the field of Social Medicine, it's often possible to begin a residency while learning the language. This opens up opportunities for international medical graduates to integrate into the Swedish healthcare system and contribute their expertise, particularly in public health and epidemiology.
Interested in becoming a specialist in Social Medicine and Public Health? The specialist training for doctors focuses on public health, equitable health, and the organization and financing of healthcare.
More doctors with expertise in epidemiology, global health, public health work, and the planning, organization, development, and evaluation of healthcare can contribute to improving public health, reducing health disparities, and developing healthcare to better meet the population's needs while leveraging the profession's perspective.
You've come to the right place! Below, we answer common questions and describe how to undergo specialist medical training in Social Medicine. Please feel free to contact the board if you have more questions or concerns.
WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDICINE?
Social Medicine is Sweden's equivalent to Public Health Medicine and deals with health at the societal level. This specialty has been recognized in Sweden since 1974. The National Board of Health and Welfare's 2015 training program objectives state: The social medicine competence and associated skills in epidemiology, health promotion, and disease prevention are important resources in healthcare. With a background in healthcare and medicine, social medicine contributes expertise in public health work, global health, and the planning, organization, development, and evaluation of healthcare and other societal sectors.
The subject is timely given the significant health challenges in Sweden and globally, and current initiatives on equitable health and the UN's Agenda 2030. However, Social Medicine is a very small specialty in Sweden today. For instance, there are currently only ten ST doctors in social medicine in the entire country, but the Swedish Social Medicine Association is working hard to expand the specialty.
WHAT DOES A SOCIAL MEDICINE SPECIALIST DO?
As indicated in the document above, completed specialists often work with the evaluation and planning of community medical interventions at local, regional, or national levels and/or with research and education at universities. A few have clinical positions focused on, for example, socially vulnerable groups or insurance medicine. It is important to note that there are currently not many "final positions," i.e., permanent positions specially designed for finished specialists in social medicine. This is also something we are actively working to change.
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN AN ST IN SOCIAL MEDICINE?
To become a specialist in Social Medicine, you need to achieve the goals in the National Board of Health and Welfare's objective description for Social Medicine. Like all other basic specialties, the specialist training takes five years. Sometimes ST positions in Social Medicine are announced by a social medicine unit or clinic. Unfortunately, this is quite rare, but it is still possible to complete the training. To do the ST anyway, the following steps are required:
A. FIND A SUPERVISOR
The supervisor should be a specialist in Social Medicine. They also need to undergo supervisor training before taking on the supervisory role. You can then develop a plan to achieve the goals in consultation with the supervisor. Supervision can be done remotely. You must always have an appointed supervisor during each placement and document supervision meetings, even if you have an ST position.
To facilitate finding a supervisor, the association has compiled this list of potential supervisors:
- Anna Sarkadi, Uppsala, Professor, specialist physician
anna.sarkadi@pubcare.uu.se
- Bo Burström, Stockholm, Professor, senior physician
bo.burstrom@ki.se
- Christina Dahlman, Stockholm, Professor, senior physician
christina.dalman@ki.se
- Knut Lönnroth, Stockholm/Åland, Professor, senior physician
knut.lonnroth@ki.se
- Kyriaki Kosidou, Stockholm, Med. Dr., senior physician
kyriaki.kosidou@ki.se
- Margareta Kristenson, Linköping, Professor emeritus, senior physician
margareta.kristenson@liu.se
- Martin Lindström, Malmö, Professor, senior physician
martin.lindstrom@med.lu.se
- Per-Olof Östergren, Malmö, Professor, senior physician
per-olof.ostergren@med.lu.se
- David Ebbevi, Stockholm, Specialist in General Medicine
david.ebbevi@regionstockholm.se
- Marie Köhler, Lund, Specialist in Child and Adolescent Medicine, Post-doc in Social Medicine
marie.kohler@med.lu.se
B. FIND A SOCIAL MEDICINE UNIT
Many carry out parts of their ST by working at a Social Medicine unit in a region, but it is not a requirement. According to the regulations for specialist medical training, however, the regions are always the "principals" for ST training. Even if many choose to complete the placements and trainings required for a specialist certificate without being employed by a specific clinic (this is called "grey block"), a head of department within healthcare must always sign the application for a specialist certificate to the National Board of Health and Welfare in the end.
C. COMPLETE COURSES AND PLACEMENTS
Together with the supervisor, you decide which placements should be included in your training. The National Board of Health and Welfare's objective description leaves some room for interpretation, which allows you to adapt the training to your interests and needs. Clinical placement must be included in the training, and this recuires being proficient in Swedish. Some choose to pursue a relevant master's degree (e.g., Master of Public Health) or to earn a doctoral degree in a related subject in conjunction with their specialist service. The Association behind this webpage yearly offer a so-called Specialist Competence course in Social Medicine, focusing on health development in marginalized society.
This training framework provides a comprehensive path for those interested in contributing to public health, with a focus on epidemiology, health promotion, and the evaluation of healthcare systems. The combination of practical training, academic study, and the opportunity to work under experienced supervisors makes this a robust and valuable program for those seeking to specialize in Social Medicine in Sweden.