Sending a question to the Ministry of Health, reader C.T.T said: "I graduated from the nursing intermediate level and was recruited as a school health worker in 2009. In 2016, the competent authority required school health workers to have a medical intermediate level or higher, so I went to medical intermediate level to qualify.
May I ask, if I want to study at a college, should I study at a nursing college according to the initial admission certificate, or study at a medical college? ".
Regarding this issue, the Ministry of Health responded as follows:
On October 7, 2015, the Minister of Health and the Minister of Home Affairs issued Joint Circular No. 26/2015/TTLT-BYT-BNV stipulating codes and standards for professional titles of nurse, midwife, and medical technician. Joint Circular No. 26/2015/TTLT-BYT-BNV stipulates that the titles of nurse, midwife, and medical technician include 3 grades: Grade II corresponding to the master's and specialist training level I, grade III corresponding to the bachelor's training level, grade IV corresponding to the intermediate training level and standardizing the college level on January 1, 2025.
On April 26, 2022, the Minister of Health signed and issued Circular No. 03/2022/TT-BYT amending and supplementing a number of regulations on professional title standards for health professional officials. The Circular has stipulated that the title of nurse, midwife, and medical technician requires intermediate training, salary classification for type B civil servants, and according to the roadmap from January 1, 2025 onwards, civil servants recruited to the title of nurse, midwife, and medical technician of grade IV must have graduated from college. For civil servants recruited to the title of nurse, grade IV medical technological household registration before January 1, 2021, they must standardize their college training level no later than January 1, 2025.
In case the civil servant is sent to study to achieve college qualifications but does not participate in the study or the learning results do not meet the requirements, the agency or unit that employs the civil servant shall report to the agency or unit managing the civil servant to consider rearranging him/her to other work or implementing staff streamlining.
On January 9, 2025, the Minister of Health issued Circular No. 02/2025/TT-BYT stipulating codes and standards for professional titles of nurse, midwifery, and medical technician.
Regarding the title of doctor, the Minister of Health and the Minister of Home Affairs issued Joint Circular No. 10/2015/TTLT-BYT-BNV dated May 27, 2015 stipulating codes and standards for professional titles of doctors, preventive medicine doctors, and nurses.
Article 10 and Article 11 stipulate the standards on training and fostering qualifications for the title of Grade IV Physician, code V.03.03.07, requiring qualifications: Graduated from intermediate level of a medical doctor; the professional title of a medical doctor is subject to the salary coefficient of type B civil servants, from the salary coefficient 1.86 to the salary coefficient 4.0.30.
On December 30, 2023, the Government issued Decree No. 96/2023/ND-CP detailing a number of articles of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment.
Clause 2, Article 8 stipulates:
"Article 8. Certificate requirements for attending the competency assessment test to grant a practice license for professional titles...
People with one of the following degrees are eligible to take the competency assessment test to be granted a practice license for the title of medical doctor:
a) title of physician with the scope of general practice:
- Doctor of General Medicine college certificate, including a graduation certificate issued by a foreign educational institution recognized by the Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs as equivalent to a doctor of general medicine college degree;
- A bachelor's degree in medicine issued by a foreign educational institution recognized by the Minister of Education and Training.
b) title of physician with the scope of practice in traditional medicine:
A certificate of traditional medicine college or traditional medicine college, including a graduation certificate issued by a foreign educational institution recognized by the Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, equivalent to a degree of traditional medicine college or traditional medicine college".
Clause 2, Article 127 stipulates:
"Article 127. Conditions for a degree granted a practice license
... 2. For the title of doctor:
a) title of physician with the scope of general practice:
- Intermediate medical certificate, including a graduation certificate issued by a foreign educational institution recognized by the Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs as equivalent to a medical intermediate certificate. These certificates must be issued before January 1, 2027;
... b) title of physician with the scope of practice in traditional medicine:
- Intermediate degree in traditional medicine or intermediate degree in traditional medicine, including a graduation certificate issued by a foreign educational institution recognized by the Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs as equivalent to a secondary degree in traditional medicine. These certificates must be issued before January 1, 2027;...".
Medical staff have been recruited and appointed to the title of Grade IV Doctor with intermediate qualifications, and have been granted a medical practice certificate with a job position at the commune health station.
Currently, the legal document on the recruitment, use and management of civil servants has undergone many changes, and the medical practice license has changed from intermediate level to college level, so the Ministry of Health is developing a Circular to replace Joint Circular No. 10/2015/TTLT-BYT-BNV dated May 27, 2015 of the Minister of Health, Minister of Home Affairs stipulating codes and standards for professional titles of doctors, preventive medicine doctors, and nurses.
In case the civil servant is a school health worker, holding the title of nurse and receiving salary in the title of nurse, wanting to receive salary in the title of Grade IV nurse, classified as A0 salary, must graduate from a nursing college degree.
In case of wanting to consider transferring the title of doctor, being granted a certificate and practice license within the scope of practicing general medicine, they must have a medical college graduation certificate as prescribed in Decree No. 96/2023/ND-CP mentioned above.
Based on the above professional title standards for civil servants and based on the job position, school health workers choose the form of study to improve their college qualifications in accordance with the provisions of law and the work that civil servants are performing.
