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 model of specialist doctor degree I (CKI), specialist doctor II (CKII) with a specialist training program with flexible time according to each major.
The Ministry of Health is drafting a Circular guiding the organization and implementation of postgraduate training programs in the field of health, resident doctor and specialist doctor degrees. The draft is expected to create a breakthrough in training organization, enrollment, program development and degree issuance, thereby improving the quality of postgraduate medical human resources.
Proposal to change the training model of CKI, CKII
One of the notable contents proposed by the Department of Science, Technology and Training (Ministry of Health) is to study reforming the current system of specialist doctoral degrees.
According to the drafting agency, the division into two types of doctoral degrees, specialist level I and specialist level II, is not really suitable for the scope of practice as well as the depth of each specialty.
Meanwhile, international experience shows that in many countries, specialized training is not organized according to two separate types of degrees, CKI and CKII. Instead, the program is often designed in stages, from basic specialization to in-depth specialization or sub-speciality.
Notably, not every major develops to the level of a deep specialist. Therefore, after completing the training program, learners can be awarded a specialist doctor's degree corresponding to the major they are trained in, instead of being divided into two degree levels as at present.
From this reality, the Department of Science and Technology and Training proposes to research the transition from the two-level training model CKI and CKII to a specialized training program with flexible duration, designed to suit the specifics of each major.
No longer rigidly applying the 2-3 year training period?
According to the proposed direction, the duration of specialized training should be determined based on the actual requirements of each field, instead of applying relatively uniformly for about 2-3 years as at present.
To implement it, the Ministry of Health plans to comprehensively review the training program, job positions and professional scope of each major. On that basis, the requirements for capacity, training content and study duration will be specifically determined.
This approach aims to ensure that the training time accurately reflects the complexity and capacity requirements of each major. Fields with high professional requirements, complex techniques or requiring in-depth training can be designed with corresponding programs, while majors that do not need to develop to a specialized level will not necessarily have to apply the same training model.
According to the orientation of the draft, the innovation of the postgraduate training system is not only about changing the name or the way of issuing degrees, but also towards closer linking training with the need to use medical human resources.
Determining the program based on the necessary capacity, job position and scope of practice is expected to help learners be properly trained in the necessary knowledge, skills and practical capacity for the professional field.
At the same time, the new model can create conditions for the specialized training system to be more flexible, avoiding the situation where majors have very different requirements but have to follow a relatively similar training time frame.
The Department of Science, Technology and Training believes that innovation in this direction will help the specialized training system be more suitable for the reality of medical examination and treatment; clearly define the capacity requirements of each field and gradually approach the specialized training model that is being widely applied in the world.
