Interns Doctors Program
Our Interns Doctors Program is a highly needed training program as it fills an important labor market gap while meeting multiple societal needs such as improved health. With funding from the World Bank, in partnership with Finance for Jobs (F4J), the Palestinian Medical Council (PMC) and Education for Employment (EFE), Juzoor developed an evidence-based training curriculum for beneficiaries who have failed the PMC Accreditation exam, to prepare them for passing the Exam, become qualified doctors, and assist them with their transition into employment. The curriculum is based on adult learning methods, and consists of the following training modules:
- Specialized medical domains (such as internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, and emergency medical care),
- Non-specialized domains (research, ethics, Palestinian health system including local protocols),
- Workplace skills that will improve the beneficiaries’ chances to apply for, and secure, a residency position and/or a job, such as communication, teamwork, leadership, time management, writing a CV, being prepared for the job interview,
- English for Doctors.
The main objectives of the program are:
- To help beneficiaries who failed the PMC Accreditation exam, to retake the exam and pass it.
- Improve the beneficiaries’ chances to apply for, and secure, a residency position and/or a job.
- Provide a long-term supply of well-prepared doctors.
As the accreditation exam is held twice a year, two training courses are provided. Each training course concurrently takes place in three locations of the West Bank (northern, central and southern areas). The two rounds of training courses targets a total of 80 intern doctors, out of which at least 46 will find employment in local health institutions, including hospitals, clinics, and private practices (of which 44 will sustain employment for 6 months). It is also intended that the training curricula, developed through this project, will be adopted by the PMC for the training of all intern doctors in the future, thus ensuring the wider impact and sustainability of this project.
The current COVID-19 pandemic the world is facing is an additional evidence of the importance of medical and health training programs and is calling for further investments in Medical Services. Recently in Palestine, retired doctors and medical students were requested to volunteer to cover the shortage for doctors in hospitals. Thus, this program should provide a long-term supply of well-prepared doctors, even beyond the pandemic.
Note: All the trainings held for 2020 were virtually held through Zoom.