I have already written about factors (age, medication, BMI, general health) which may disqualify people from obtaining a work visa or an offer of employment from a hospital in the Middle East. There are, however, other issues, not related to health, that may — at least temporarily — prevent a person from being hired for a healthcare position in the Middle East:

• Positions as for current, strong, hands-on experience in the field, specialty, or bench for which one is applying. In addition, the standard requirement is current in-hospital experience. So, for example, if you are in administration, you should be employed in hospital administration and not, say, in administration in other industries, such as insurance, telecom, etc.

• And usually size matters. This is particularly significant in the case of management positions, i.e., if you are seeking a management position at a large, tertiary hospital, you must currently be working at a large, tertiary hospital.

• You will no doubt have noted the word "current" popping up in the above points. This little word is frequently overlooked by those reading our job posts, but it is very significant for the hospitals in the Middle East. Your experience must be current. And it may surprise you that the common definition of "current" is "within the past six months to one year."

• People are surprised that nursing positions, especially at the staff level, are commonly available to female nurses but not always to men. Why? It's based on cultural and religious tradition, with Muslim women not wanting to be touched by or seen by male nurses. Female nurses can care for female and male patients, but males can only care for male patients. This restriction does not, however, apply to male physicians, or to male Respiratory Therapists.

• Occasional positions (e.g., psychiatric nursing) demand that an applicant be fluent in Arabic.

• A new graduate from a Western country will not be considered for a position in the Middle East. The hospitals require applicants to be able to hit the ground running, to take charge, and to mentor those with less training. Jobs for new grads are mostly restricted to citizens of the Middle Eastern country in which the job exists. For a Westerner, an entry-level staff position in the Middle East means you will need, depending on the position, a minimum of two to three years of current experience in your field.

Many of the above issues will surprise you. However, you can take comfort (as we do) in the knowledge that our "Sorry, we can't help you" is sometimes only temporary. We encourage you to call us once you have earned that extra experience, or your citizenship, etc.