Doctor (Physician)
طبيب
Diagnoses and treats illness, and can specialise in areas from family medicine to surgery, paediatrics or cardiology.
Career overview
What they do
Becoming a doctor is a long commitment: a medical degree, an internship, residency training and licensing exams. In return, it is one of the most respected and secure careers, with a direct impact on people's lives.
Typical responsibilities
- Examine patients and take medical histories
- Order and interpret tests
- Diagnose conditions and prescribe treatment
- Work with nurses, pharmacists and specialists
- Keep up with medical research and guidelines
Skills you'll need
How much it relies on
Work style
Advantages
- Meaningful work with direct impact
- High job security and status
- Many specialties to choose from later
Disadvantages
- Very long path: often 10+ years including residency
- Night shifts, on-call duty and emotional strain
- Highly competitive admission and licensing
Growth & future opportunities
Editorial view: consistent demand as healthcare capacity grows; licensing is regulated by national and emirate-level health authorities.
Career content is written by the Masari editorial team. Last reviewed 21 Oct 2026.
Study in the UAE
Programs at UAE institutions that lead to this career.
Average tuition
AED 145,800 per year on average for bachelor's programmes with published fees (AED 134,000–160,000, 2 programmes).
From each university's official fee schedule. Yearly figures for per-credit schedules assume a full-time load of 30 credit hours. Excludes housing, books and other fees.
- Ajman UniversityDoctor of MedicineAjman4–6 yearstypicalNot published
- Dubai Medical UniversityDoctor of MedicineDubai4–6 yearstypicalNot published
- Gulf Medical UniversityDoctor of Medicine
- Khalifa University of Science and TechnologyDoctor of MedicineAbu Dhabi4–6 yearstypicalNot published
- Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health SciencesDoctor of MedicineDubai4–6 yearstypicalNot published
- RAK Medical and Health Sciences UniversityDoctor of Medicine
- United Arab Emirates UniversityDoctor of MedicineAbu Dhabi4–6 yearstypicalNot published
- University of SharjahDoctor of MedicineSharjah4–6 yearstypicalNot published
Programs and accreditation come from the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) register of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Tuition and duration appear once verified on the university's own program page; always confirm admission details with the university.
Scholarships for this path
See all scholarshipsKhalifa University master's and PhD scholarships
Khalifa University · University
Merit-based graduate scholarships; PhD awards can include a monthly stipend.
Khalifa University scholarship for UAE nationals
Khalifa University · University
Full tuition, books, housing and transport for Emirati undergraduates.
Dubai Health Authority Scholarships
Dubai Health Authority · Government
Health-sector sponsorship for eligible UAE nationals.
ADEK Khotwa Scholarship Programme
Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) · Government
A fully sponsored alternative pathway to a degree abroad via a community college or foundation year.
UAE job market
Openings collected from connected job sources.
Openings by emirate
Salary range from postings
No verified salary data yet.
Employers hiring
- NMC Healthcare · 1
- Etihad Airways · 1
Browse live listings
Masari counts vacancies from sources that permit automated collection (currently the Dubai Government's Dubai Careers portal). LinkedIn, Naukrigulf and Dubizzle don't allow automated access, so we link to their searches instead.
Job data last updated 25 Oct 2026, 05:02 AM
Skills employers ask for
From the descriptions of 2 current UAE vacancies for this career. Tick the skills you already have to see your gaps.
The bar shows the share of postings that mention each skill. Tick what you already have.
Specialist skills
Personal skills
Qualifications & licences
Counted with keyword matching on 2 posting descriptions from the job sources above. A skill appears once per posting. It's a guide to what employers ask for, not a full list.