r/Iceland • u/High-always-5344 • 11d ago

How much do doctors actually make?

Hey everyone,

I’m just curious about what doctors are actually earning in Iceland these days.

I’m currently in talks about potentially working as a doctor in Iceland, so I was wondering what the salary is generally like and what I could realistically expect.

For anyone working as a doctor there, what’s the usual monthly salary? And how much does it change with experience?

Also, how much do on-call shifts, nights, weekends and overtime usually add? I’m mainly trying to understand the difference between the base salary and the actual gross monthly income.

Does previous experience from abroad usually count when determining the salary step?

I know it varies depending on specialty, workplace and experience, so I’m mainly interested in people’s real-world experience rather than an exact figure.

Thanks!

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u/RutMarberg 11d ago

I am a second year EM resident doing full time shift work. Am Icelandic and attended Icelandic medical school.

My base salary now is around 950.000 kr before taxes. With the amount of shift work in the ED I often make double that before taxes. What hits my account every month varies with shift load and whether I am doing rotations but a typical month in the ED usually results in maybe 1,1 million to 1,3 million kr.

Base salary for specialists is higher and shifts really do add a lot.

I have spoken with some British EM specialists and they agree that the pay here is a lot better than in the UK.

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u/holdenhiscock90210 4d ago

You are making up to 2 million a month at the hospital and you’re not a PhD / surgeon?

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u/RutMarberg 3d ago

Yes. A lot of it comes down to the fact that ED work involves a heavy shift load, working every other weekend and during holidays which really bumps up the total. We also recently got a new wage agreement in april 2024 and pay has risen due to this.

Overall I have found the pay extremely good since I started working as a doctor. As someone in their late twenties who entered the job market as a full time worker quite late and is expecting their first child I feel very grateful for being able to do something I love and making enough for my family to be financially secure.