The Ministry of Health proposes to remove the method of dividing specialist doctors I (CKI), specialist II (CK II) to innovate training in a flexible direction, close to capacity requirements. The draft new Circular of the Ministry of Health proposes many changes in postgraduate training in the field of health, in which the noteworthy is the research to replace the CKI and CKII degree models with specialized training programs with flexible time according to each major.
The draft is expected to create innovation in training organization, enrollment, program development and degree issuance, thereby improving the quality of postgraduate medical human resources.
Prof. Dr. Pham Manh Hung - Head of Cardiology Department - Hanoi Medical University, Director of the Institute of Cardiology - Hospital 19-8 (Ministry of Public Security) - said that the draft Circular on training resident doctors and specialist doctors is an opportunity for Vietnam to fundamentally innovate the training method of postgraduate medical personnel.
According to Prof. Dr. Pham Manh Hung, the quality of the health system largely depends on postgraduate doctor training. While the quality of medical examination and treatment between levels and regions is still uneven, medical personnel in some localities, especially at the grassroots level, have not fully met the quantity and quality requirements.
A systematic training program, with rotation, helping doctors to be exposed to many types of diseases, being monitored and evaluated regularly will contribute to improving professional capacity. Conversely, if there is a lack of training opportunities, little access to new techniques and no regular capacity assessment, the professional gap between levels is difficult to narrow.
Notably, he assessed that the regulations in the draft on the training program for resident doctors and specialist doctors in the same specialty with the same output standards are the basis for the principle of "one specialty - one competency standard". In the transitional period, there may be many training roadmaps, but in the long term, it is necessary to have the same output standards, evaluate and recognize specialist doctors.
Switching from two levels of degrees to specialized training
The Ministry of Health is proposing to study replacing the CKI and CKII training models with specialized training programs with flexible times according to each major, aiming for training based on actual capacity and needs.
This is a noteworthy content in the draft Circular guiding the organization and implementation of postgraduate training programs in the field of health, with many changes in training organization, enrollment, program development and degree issuance.
According to the drafting agency, the division into CKI and CKII is currently not really suitable for the scope of practice as well as the different levels of expertise between majors.
International experience shows that in many countries, specialized training is not organized according to two separate types of degrees, CKI and CKII, but is designed in stages, from basic specialization to in-depth specialization or minor specialization.
Not every major develops to a deep specialist level. Therefore, learners can be awarded a specialist doctor's degree corresponding to the major they are trained in, instead of having to go through two levels of degrees.
From this reality, the Department of Science and Technology and Training proposes to research and switch to a specialized training program with flexible time, suitable to the specific characteristics of each major.
The focus of the new model is no longer the doctor who is at the CKI or CKII level, but what professional capacity that person has, what field they are trained in and what scope of practice they have.
Boarding training needs to become the main career path
Prof. Dr. Pham Manh Hung believes that Vietnam also needs to change its view of resident doctor training.
Inpatient training should not only be for a group of "excellent" doctors, but should become one of the main vocational training paths to form a team of specialist doctors.
Experience in Singapore, Sweden, France and China shows that specialized training is mainly carried out at hospitals, with a unified program, with monitoring, evaluation and assignment of responsibility to gradually increase patient care according to capacity.
This training method helps learners not only accumulate theoretical knowledge but also gradually form practical skills in a practical medical examination and treatment environment.
The Ministry of Health's research to replace the CKI and CKII models is therefore not only aimed at changing the way of calling or issuing diplomas. The more important goal is to build a flexible training system, based on competence, suitable to the specific characteristics of each major and linked to the actual needs of the health system.
If effectively implemented, this model can contribute to standardizing the capacity of specialist doctors, improving the quality of healthcare human resources and gradually narrowing the gap in professional training between Vietnam and other countries.
