[Foreign physicians in Norway. Where do they come from--how do they work--what are their plans for the future?].

In a market with almost 500 vacant positions for doctors it is of considerable interest to obtain more knowledge about immigrant doctors. In a survey of 408 immigrant doctors, the majority came from the Nordic (22%) and other West European countries (37%), whereas the rest came from Eastern Europe (19%), Asia (17%), America and Africa. One third (36%) obtained their first appointment in central Norway and 22% in remote North Norway. The corresponding figure for the present appointment were 40 and 17%. Most doctors (73%) had been well received in Norway. Language problems (21%) and social isolation (16%) were frequently encountered, but professional problems were less common (7%). Doctors from West European countries complained that their medical qualifications tended to be under-rated by their Norwegian colleagues.