National University Hospital Residents to Undergo 1-2 Months of Joint Training at Regional Public Hospitals

Park Min-su, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, is speaking at the agreement ceremony and project briefing session for institutions participating in the pilot project for joint training of residents.
[Photo by Ministry of Health and Welfare]

A pilot project in which residents affiliated with national university hospitals experience joint training courses at regional base public hospitals is set to officially begin. As part of essential medical support measures, the project aims to improve the supply-demand imbalance of regional specialists in the mid to long term.

On the afternoon of the 2nd, the Ministry of Health and Welfare held the "Resident Joint Training Pilot Project Participating Institutions Agreement Ceremony and Project Briefing" at the Korea Press Center in Seoul to discuss the pilot project’s direction and improvements to the training system. The event was attended by Park Min-su, the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare; Lee Hyung-hoon, Director of Health Policy; Kim Yeon-su, President of the National University Hospital Association; Jeong Il-yong, Vice President of the Association of Local Medical Centers; as well as heads and staff members from participating institutions, totaling over 60 attendees.

The resident joint training pilot project is designed to provide residents with systematic training opportunities in regional medical environments by developing a joint training model linking national university hospitals and regional base public hospitals. The national university hospitals participating are Gangwon National University Hospital, Bundang Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University Hospital, Jeonbuk National University Hospital, and Chungbuk National University Hospital. The regional base public hospitals involved include Sokcho Medical Center, Yeongwol Medical Center, Samcheok Medical Center, Icheon Medical Center, Incheon Red Cross Hospital, Jinan County Medical Center, and Cheongju Medical Center.

National university hospitals will collaborate with public clinical professors (supervising specialists affiliated with national university hospitals) dispatched to regional base public hospitals to develop education content specialized for these hospitals. The regional base public hospitals will have public clinical professors fully responsible for managing the quality of training by overseeing resident education, evaluation, and counseling during the joint training. Starting from the first half of this year, residents affiliated with national university hospitals participating in the pilot project (interns and first-year residents in participating departments) will experience joint training courses lasting 1 to 2 months at regional base public hospitals.

Vice Minister Park Min-su stated, "Following the essential medical support measures announced last January, the government plans to continuously promote the training of regional and essential medical personnel, appropriate compensation, and improvement of working conditions. To resolve imbalances between regions and specialties, we will continue to develop public policy fees such as regional fees and expand the allocation of resident quotas outside the metropolitan area, among other policy measures to strengthen the support base for essential medical care."