Hospitals to pioneer medical internship program

Forty public hospitals in Guangdong province have been tapped to become the first training bases for graduates of universities and colleges of medical science, authorities said on Thursday.

Starting in 2015, all graduates, including master's and doctorate degree holders, of medical science universities and colleges, will have to receive three years of training at the designated hospitals before they can become a doctor and seek jobs.

Currently, university graduates can immediately become a doctor after finding a job in a hospital.

Most of the hospitals recommended to become the training bases are key public hospitals in the southern province of Guangdong, which borders the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.

"It is really necessary for the graduates to receive special training for three years before they become a doctor and see patients," said Liao Xinbo, inspector with the Guangdong provincial commission of health and family planning.

"The training will certainly help them improve their professional knowledge and standardize medical ethics," Liao said.

The pre-job training will help build outstanding medical staff in Guangdong province, he added.

Liao urged the hospitals concerned to introduce detailed training plans.

Chen Anwei, a deputy to the Guangzhou People's Congress, said practical experience has proved that medical science graduates need special training for some years before they are qualified to become doctors.

"Many Western countries and regions also require them to undergo special training for years before they can be allowed to see patients," said Chen, former vice-president of No 3 Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Medical Science.

Pre-job training for medical science university graduates has become an international practice, she added.

Li Qingfeng, deputy-president of Guangzhou Red Cross Hospital, said the special pre-job training will not only help graduates improve their professional knowledge but also help narrow the gap between big and small hospitals after more graduates receive the training and take jobs in the following years.

But students have mixed feelings about the training requirement.

Yang Xiao, a fourth-year student at Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said the training will help graduates improve their professional knowledge.

"But we worry about our employment prospects and our a standard of living during the training period," Yang said.

Some doctorate-level graduates approach the age of 30 by the time they completed the training and become a doctor.

zhengcaixiong@chinadaily.com.cn