• Membership in the Finnish Medical Association
• FMA Organisation
• FMA objectives and how we work
• Working as a doctor in Finland
• Working in the private sector
• Career paths for medical doctors

Different ways of working for different life situations

Instead of or in addition to working in the public sector, a medical doctor can choose to work as an independent entrepreneur or as an employee in a private company,

Working as a private entrepreneur or in a private company is by nature an independent activity. This requires comprehensive professional and strong interactive skills as well as a dedication to continuously maintaining and developing these skills. A private doctor is legally responsible for their own activities, so the responsibility is great.

A medical doctor who works as an entrepreneur must be familiar with

• the general prerequisites for working as an entrepreneur
• what prerequisites and special features are included in medical entrepreneurship.

Private entrepreneurship is is independent work. Medical work performed as an entrepreneur is not subject to the protections of the legislation on employment or civil service relationships or, for example, the employer’s directive rights as regards the management and supervision of work when working at a medical clinic. Private entrepreneurs make their own agreements with medical clinics. The Finnish Medical Association and the Finnish Medical Service Companies Association have drawn up a model agreement that can be used in making such agreements. It is important to ensure, that all conditions of working should be explicitly stated in the agreement. Doctors working as private entrepreneurs receive patient insurance through the membership of the Finnish Medical Association.

When doctors operate as private companies to practice medicine, it is good to remember that a company is always a legally independent legal entity, regulated by several laws and regulations. A doctor operating in the form of a company does not therefore operate according to the private entrepreneur model, even if in practice they receive patients at a medical clinic, for example.

Doctors working as employees of a private company do not have their own collective agreement, but the terms of their employment relationship are based on legislation and personal agreements. Conditions other than salary may also be based on, for example, a collective agreement for other salaried employees.

When planning and setting up the form of operating that best suits your situation, it is worth utilizing the union’s calculators (Practicus, available in Finnish only) and consulting, for example, accounting and taxation experts.

According to the strategy of the Finnish Medical Association, service providers should be equal and the money should always go with the patient. The possibility of private entrepreneurship must be secured both full-time and part-time. In this matter, the Finnish Medical Association’s interest promotion work on the health insurance system and legislation is important.

---