Employment in the healthcare sector
You may be doing your doctoral studies while employed in the healthcare system, on a clinical doctoral studentship. As a clinical worker, you work for the state or for the region.
On a clinical doctoral studentship, you normally receive all of your salary from your employer, but it is possible to have part of your salary paid by the university. It is the university’s responsibility to check that there will be adequate financing for you for the entire duration of the studies, that you will be able to devote enough time to your studies, and that you will have the necessary resources.
Your main supervisor may be someone working only at the university, or someone who is, like you, working both for the university and the healthcare sector.
It may be the case that you are working full time on your doctoral studies, but often you will be dividing your time between the studies and clinical work. The study pace, however, cannot be below 50% overall, as you are expected to be able to graduate within at most eight years for a doctoral degree and four years for a licentiate.
There normally exists an agreement between the employer and the university, regulating the way that responsibility for you is shared. The agreement should make explicit the time you are to spend on your studies and other tasks, as well as what the university and the employer should provide in terms of resources for your research.
In some cases you will be doing your research entirely on university premises, in others you may be also working on it at your workplace. In either case, the university should provide you with a research and educational environment, guaranteeing you a sufficient workplace, making sure you get the chance to participate in the scholarly community through group meetings, workshops etc. The university is responsible for the course part of your education.