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Table 3 Key features of medical education in the five Israeli medical schools

From: Medical education in Israel 2016: five medical schools in a period of transition

 

Jerusalem

Tel Aviv

Haifa

Beer Sheva

Safed

When established

1949

1964

1970

1974

2011

Types of programs

6 year with 4 patterns (regular, Military Medicine, research oriented, community oriented)

6 year

4 year

Foreign students

6 year

Foreign students

6 year

Foreign students

3 year

4 year

Admissions processa

MMI (in house)

MMI (MSR)

MMI (in house under MSR supervision)

Computerized screening and interview

MMI (MSR)

Type of curriculumb

Traditional until Oct-2016, when a reform was launched

Originally traditional, later reformed

Originally traditional, later reformed

Originally innovative, further reformed in a number of cycles

Innovative from the school’s establishment

Faculty development

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Teaching Methods:

- Number of small group/self-directed courses

- Lecture-based courses

- Team-based learning

At least 1

Yes

Not yet

At least 1

Yes

Not yet

At least 1

Yes

Not yet

At least 2

Yes

Yes

At least 3

Yes

Yes

Physical infrastructure

Adequate (but more small group space needed)

Adequate (but more small group space needed)

Limited

Adequate

Limited

Humanities requirement

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Methods for student assessment

Traditional – predominantly MCQ

Mixed – MCQ+ OSCE + other

Mixed – MCQ along with innovative modalities

Mixed, with extensive use of OSCE

Mixed

Weight of teaching performance in promotion decisions

Minimal,except in a teacher track (5 % of promotions)

minimal

minimal

substantial

minimal

Service learning

Required

Required

Elective

Elective

Required

Recently added courses

Humanities

Professionalism emphasis, longitudinal strands

Literature and medicine, genomics and medicine, entrepreneurship and medical technologies

Interprofessional education (IPE) and some of the humanities courses.

The school is new, so full curriculum is new. ETGAR course – transition between hospital and community \care.

Prizes & awards for teaching

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Medical education unit

Center

Department

Unit

Center

Distributed

Future plans

Adding tracts, Significant community exposure increase

Physician self-care, gender medicine, and enhanced assessment of professionalism

Increase in the staff of the medical education unit

Simulation center, strategic plan to redesign the curriculum

Expand interprofessional education and increase the use of simulation.

  1. aMultiple Mini Interviews (MMI) is an admission method based on multiple short observed simulated interactions and interviews [18]. The Israeli version was initially developed in the national simulation center (MSR) and subsequently adopted for in house production by two of the schools (one, Haifa, does an identical version to MSR)
  2. bA traditional curriculum is one that has a disciplinary, teacher and lecture basis. An innovative curriculum is one that is integrative, with a student and small group/ self-directed learning basis