If cardiology is your field, Bordeaux deserves a place on your shortlist. The city is home to IHU Liryc, an institute dedicated to cardiac arrhythmias, and to IHU VBHI, selected in 2023 to work on vascular diseases of the brain. Add the Bordeaux University Hospital (CHU de Bordeaux) and the Institut Bergonié, a dedicated cancer centre, and you have a city where patient care, research and teaching sit side by side.
The big picture: one university hospital, two IHUs and a cancer centre
Everything starts with the CHU, the university hospital that anchors healthcare in the Bordeaux area. According to its 2025 key figures, it has 2,614 beds and 447 day places, around 16,000 staff including 1,660 medical staff, and 814 residents and junior doctors. The hospital also reports 2,370 new hires over the year. None of this guarantees a job, but it tells you about scale: almost every specialty is represented under one institutional roof.
| Institution | Focus | Key facts |
|---|---|---|
| CHU de Bordeaux | All specialties, care, teaching and research | 2,614 beds and 447 day places, around 16,000 staff (hospital figures, 2025) |
| IHU Liryc | Cardiac arrhythmias and heart modelling | Selected in 2011; partners: CHU, University of Bordeaux, Inserm, CNRS, Inria |
| IHU VBHI | Vascular diseases of the brain (stroke, dementia) | Selected in 2023 under the France 2030 plan, led by the University of Bordeaux |
| Institut Bergonié | Cancer care (Unicancer network) | Unicancer network; CLIP² early-phase trials centre accredited by INCa |
The hospital is also in the middle of a major overhaul. Its "New CHU of Bordeaux" programme amounts to 1.4 billion euros and 26 building projects, according to the hospital. Joining an institution that is rebuilding usually means new departments, new ways of working and teams that are being reshaped. For someone arriving from abroad, that can make it easier to find your place.
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Heart and rhythm: IHU Liryc
IHU Liryc is Bordeaux's university hospital institute for heart rhythm disorders and cardiac modelling. It was one of the six IHUs chosen in France's first national round in 2011. It brings together the CHU, the University of Bordeaux, Inserm, CNRS and Inria, and the institute says it gathers more than 160 doctors and researchers. The project page of the French National Research Agency (ANR) lists funding of 69.1 million euros for a period running from June 2011 to December 2028.
An IHU is not a separate hospital. Think of it as a hub where clinical teams and research teams work on the same theme, with the hospital's own patients. For a cardiologist, an electrophysiologist or a resident drawn to arrhythmia work, that means daily practice and innovation in the same corridors. For a nurse who enjoys technical care, cardiology wards and electrophysiology labs are demanding places where you learn fast. And if clinical research appeals to you, an IHU brings trials, studies and roles built around coordinating them.
The brain and its blood vessels: IHU VBHI
In 2023, under the France 2030 investment plan, Bordeaux won a second IHU: VBHI, which focuses on vascular diseases of the brain, including stroke and dementia, and is led by the University of Bordeaux. The ANR's review of the IHU programme lists 19 IHUs selected in France between 2011 and 2023; apart from the Paris region, Bordeaux is the only city with two. The new institute extends the city's vascular theme from the heart to the brain. Neurologists, vascular physicians and geriatricians will see the link straight away, and so will nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists who support patients after a stroke, where long-term care matters as much as the emergency phase.
Cancer care: Institut Bergonié
Institut Bergonié is Bordeaux's dedicated cancer centre and part of Unicancer, the network of France's 18 dedicated cancer centres. The institute reports 159 beds, including 33 day-hospital places, in its 2024 activity report figures. Like France's other cancer centres (centres de lutte contre le cancer), it is a private healthcare institution of collective interest (ESPIC) whose missions focus on oncology; the institute describes them as care, research, prevention and teaching.
Bergonié runs an early-phase clinical trials centre, CLIP², accredited by the French National Cancer Institute (INCa), and takes part in SIRIC BRIO, an integrated cancer research site. Early-phase trials are the first studies of a treatment in patients. They call for highly trained teams, close monitoring and tight coordination between doctors, nurses and clinical research staff. If you want to work in oncology in a specialised setting, Bergonié offers a very different experience from a large general hospital: smaller, with a single focus.
Which healthcare professionals will find what?
- Doctors: cardiology and electrophysiology around Liryc, vascular neurology with VBHI, oncology at Bergonié, plus every specialty of a large university hospital with a strong teaching role (814 residents and junior doctors in 2025, according to the CHU).
- Nurses: departments linked to the city's strengths, such as cardiology, neurology or oncology, and clinical research roles; job listings from the CHU and Bergonié show which departments are hiring.
- Midwives: the CHU's maternity department; ask the hospital directly how its services are organised.
- Physiotherapists and occupational therapists: rehabilitation after stroke or heart disease, where the themes of VBHI and Liryc meet everyday practice.
- Healthcare assistants: a large hospital in the middle of a rebuild relies on sizeable teams in every department; needs vary by unit and over time.
Everyday life in Bordeaux
Bordeaux is the capital of the Gironde department and of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. It sits on the Garonne river, close to the Atlantic coast, and is a university city: the University of Bordeaux carries part of the local health research, including IHU VBHI. Once you start picturing yourself there, the practical questions follow quickly: which neighbourhood, how to get around, schools, paperwork. We cover them in our guide to settling in France as an EU healthcare worker and in our article on finding housing in France. For pay, see our article on healthcare salaries in France.
From idea to application
Choosing Bordeaux is step one. How you can practise in France then depends on your profession and your qualification. Read the guide for your role: doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, midwives, healthcare assistants or occupational therapists, along with our general guide to practising in France with an EU health qualification.
One piece of advice: look at job listings and departments that interest you before your application is finalised. Knowing whether you see yourself in a university hospital, a cancer centre or a research-led unit will help you plan the move and picture your life in the city.