The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences aspires to be a leading school of medicine and health sciences in the region.

The faculty aims to provide qualified students who will be future health care scientists and professionals, with high quality medical and health education components; learning, teaching, training and research for the sake of delivering excellent patient care in Palestine and the region based on our commitment to excellence, social accountability, and lifelong learning.

The Faculty aims to:

1. Provide the Palestinian community with highly qualified physicians who are capable of dealing effectively with health problems of the individual patients and of the community as a whole.
2. Offer Palestinian students, in Palestine and abroad, the opportunity to study in their home country.
3. Provide Palestinian and foreign students with the best basic and clinical knowledge and training through updated learning strategies.
4. Produce competitive graduates who are nationally and internationally able to continue distinguished specialty training in Palestine and abroad.
5. Develop a comfortable medical and health research environment to address health challenges faced by the human society.
6. Attract Palestinians and international health care scientists and professionals who can contribute to advancing knowledge and practice.
7. Advocate for improvements in community health and healthcare systems.

The below values guide our work at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences:

Humanism, Professionalism, Respect, Accountability, Integrity, Credibility, Health Wellbeing, Innovation, Inclusivity, and Volunteering.

Over six years, the medical student at FMHS should complete 266 credit hours (CH) successfully, divided into two phases:

• Basic Biomedical sciences phase: This phase is accomplished through the program where students complete 131 CH which extend for a minimum of three years and maximum of five. These include: 19 CH University compulsory, 87 CH as compulsory biomedical sciences courses, and 25 CH general elective and biomedical courses. All are offered at An Najah National University.
• Clinical Medical Sciences phase: students complete 135 CH which extends for a minimum of three years to a maximum of five.

The student is eligible to transfer to the clinical phase if he/she fulfills the following requirements:

• Complete all requirements and 131 CH of the Biomedical Sciences program and have a Bachelor degree in Biomedical Sciences.
• Complete the elective courses needed as obligatory for MD program to be qualified to upgrade to the clinical DcM program.
• Spend a minimum of three years and a maximum of five years in the BmS program.
• Maintain a Grade Point Average ≥ 2.5 on a four GPA scale.
• Earn a grade of ≥ 60% to pass each course of the Basic Biomedical Sciences courses.
• To pass the TOEFL English language exam or IELTS with Minimum scores of 500 for TOEFL and 6.5 for IELTS.
• The admission system allows Department of Medicine to conduct an entrance exam and personal interview to allow students to transfer to clinical phase.

Medical Degree (MD) program

Advisory plan for the clinical medical sciences (Doctor of medicine)

The Doctor of Medicine program (Clinical phase) consists of 135 credit hour (CH) distributed over Year 4, Year 5, and Year 6. (40-48, 42-50, and 45 CHs; respectively). All courses are compulsory.

Generally, one CH equals one full-time week (with some exceptions in Year 6). For example, the 4 CH psychiatry course means 4 full-time weeks in a clinical rotation at the psychiatry hospital and/or clinics.

Next table describes the 3 years of the clinical phase.

• "Orthopedics, Traumatology, and Surgical Emergencies" include: Orthopedics and Traumatology (4 weeks), Surgical Emergencies (3 weeks) and Neurosurgery (1 week).
• "Selected Medical Specialties" includes Dermatology, Radiology, Anesthesia, and Family Medicine; 2 weeks each.
• "Clinical Neurosciences and related subjects" include Clinical Neuroscience (3 weeks), ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat; 3 weeks) and Ophthalmology (2 weeks).
• "Forensic Medicine “includes lecture and when possible, students participate in post-mortem examinations (autopsy) at the Institute of Forensic Medicine located at the FMHS
• In Year 6, Internal Medicine –Senior and General Surgery –Senior are 4 days/week courses, and the 5th day of each week is devoted for students’ research projects which usually involves working in labs or collecting data. Pediatrics –Senior, OB-GYN–Senior and Community Medicine are 5days/week courses.

Last updated: Director of doctor of medicine program on September 01, 2021

Last Reviewed and Approved: Medical Program Committee September 20, 2021 – MPC meeting

• The passing grade for each course is 70%.
• Students must pass all major subjects of each year level before progressing on to the next academic year major subjects.

• The clinical skills lab provides technical skills training courses for medical students prior to or during interacting with patients. This starts in Year 3.
• Prior to the opening of An-Najah National University Hospital (NNUH) in 2013, the clinical training for students was performed mainly at Palestinian Ministry of Health Hospitals and clinical facilities and at private hospitals and clinics.
• In 2013, NNUH with 135 beds and expansions plans took major rope of the main training sites for students. It has been accredited by joint commission international (JCI).
• NNUH has five main departments: Surgery, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Anesthesia, and Radiology with Subspecialties in Internal Medicine and Surgery and 64 Consultants and Specialists, most working full time.
• NNUH now has thirteen residency and fellowship programs with 53 recruits. Fifty of them are on training programs and 3 are employed as service physicians. Senior residents take part in teaching and supervising students during the evening "on-calls" at NNUH.
• At Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, "Department of Medicine" employs teaching and research assistants, who are licensed physicians. They supervise students’ rotations at the clinical sites listed below. The assistants’ roles include: monitoring student attendance, organizing the rotation schedules, collecting student evaluations from doctors, moderating the interactive sessions through case discussions and journal club and preparing the lecture schedule for each rotation. Additionally, in certain circumstances they may take role in teaching.
• UNRWA facilities and private outpatient clinics also contribute to clinical training and onsite teaching.

Lists of Training Facilities that Provide Inpatient and Outpatient Services

The first PLO is integration of medical knowledge to address the mechanisms of health and diseases. This involves solid utilization of molecular, cellular, clinical, epidemiological, socio-cultural, and researchable methods. In addition, we prepare students for lifelong learning by keeping them up to date on their understanding and practice of evidence-based medicine:

1. Relate normal structure, development and function to the genetic, biochemical, physiological, neurological, and immunological processes among the major organ systems of the body and understand their roles in maintaining homeostasis.
2. Assess the role of normal human biological, cognitive, psychological, and behavioral development across the life span as determinants of health and illness.
3. Determine the impact of genetics, nutrition, epidemiology, and environmental influences on individual health, on disease and on informing treatment in local and global communities.
4. Relate principles of pathology, physiology, microbiology, and immunology to the clinical evaluation and diagnosis of common diseases and disorders.
5. Integrate scientific foundations and medical advances with clinical reasoning skills in the prevention, treatment, and management of diseases, including pharmacologic and other interventions that can prevent, cure or alter the course of diseases and disorders.
6. Build the basic skills that enable students to engage in lifelong learning to stay up to date on scientific basis of medicine.

The core principle of this PLO is to deliver holistic, compassionate, empathic, appropriate, and effective management of health problems and the promotion of health:

1. Demonstrate the ability to elicit an appropriate medical history and physical examination and synthesize the information into a differential diagnosis.
2. Propose a suitable management plan, including the selection of laboratory and radiologic tests, interpretation of their results, and the implementation of interventions to diagnose and treat common clinical conditions.
3. Demonstrate the ability to counsel and educate patients, their families, and other caregivers about treating and preventing diseases.
4. Demonstrate knowledge of the requirements for patient referral from one provider to the next using appropriate verbal handoff and written documentation.

To develop interpersonal and communication skills that result in effective communication and collaboration with patients, their families, and other health care professionals through demonstrating:

1. Culturally sensitive, patient-centered communication about medical, emotional, social and spiritual matters to patients, their families, and other caregivers.
2. Shared decision-making with patients, their families, and other caregivers from all backgrounds.
3. The ability to present a coherent oral and written summary of patients’ clinical conditions.
4. The ability to collaborate with other health care professionals and health care teams.

Utilize medical information using evidence-based medicine, and demonstrate ability to deliver the acquired information to other health care provider and the society:

1. Appraise the medical literature and electronic resources for validity, applicability, limitations and standard of care for the provision of care to individual patients and populations.
2. Use evidence-based strategies to teach colleagues, patients and the community-at-large about patient care in multiple clinical settings.
3. Appraise one's growth and development as a lifelong learner through reflective practice of personal and professional strengths and challenges.
4. Assess one’s personal well-being and its contribution to the health and wellness of their professional community and patient population.

Recognize and demonstrate the importance of several non-biomedical determinants on the overall health system especially economics and culture:

1. Apply principles of cost-effective medicine to the analysis of the organization, financing, and delivery of health care.
2. Appraise mechanisms to systematically enhance quality patient care and safety.
3. Analyze the essential importance of physician advocacy and health care policy in.
4. improving patient outcomes.
5. Assess the elements of health care systems that lead to health outcome disparities and propose ways that can mitigate such disparities.
6. Describe the ways in which cultures and belief systems impact perceptions of and responses to health and illness.
7. Use appropriate healthcare resources for optimization of patient care.

To acknowledge, discuss and apply several ethical principles operating in the health care and to recognize the skills needed to act professionally at ethical dilemmas:

1. Demonstrate understanding of ethical principles operating in the healthcare environment and the medical profession.
2. Apply ethical principles to professional activities including the care of patients and interaction with peers.
3. Demonstrate leadership, reliability, and integrity in all professional activities.
4. Demonstrate awareness of how one’s beliefs, values, and conflicts of interest may impact patient care.
5. Demonstrate compassion and care towards others regardless of differences in beliefs, identity, race, and culture.

To develop a successful and sustainable understanding for the research tools and demonstrate ability to answer basic and clinical questions using the learned research skills, in addition to the ability to transfer the acquired knowledge to the public:

1. Demonstrate a clear understanding of the core concepts of biostatistics and epidemiology, and show ability to critically evaluate the literature.
2. Demonstrate basic research skills and ethical principles necessary to answer clinical questions.
3. Recognize the importance of social accountability to address society’s health problems.
4. Work with multidisciplinary research teams to tackle clinical questions.
5. Perform practice-based research aiming to the development of new knowledge to serve the community.