Ichilov Tops Medical Internship Preferences for Israeli Graduates from Abroad

The Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv remains the most preferred hospital for medical internships among Israeli students who graduated from recognized foreign medical schools, according to the latest internship lottery results published by the Ministry of Health on Tuesday. In contrast, hospitals such as the Scottish Hospital in Nazareth, Poriya Medical Center in the north, and Barzilai in Ashkelon ranked lowest in preferences.

Among graduates from unrecognized foreign medical institutions, the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba leads as the top choice for internships. This trend reflects the impact of the "Stable" reform, which regulates the standards for Israeli medical students trained abroad and disqualifies some institutions. The reform aims to ensure all doctors entering Israel’s healthcare system have undergone high professional and international training standards to provide quality and safe medical care.

In the lottery, 422 interns were placed: 278 from recognized institutions and 144 from unrecognized ones, marking a reversal from previous years when unrecognized graduates were more numerous. Ichilov secured 45 first-choice placements, followed by Beilinson Hospital with 28, and Sheba Medical Center rising to third with 24 first-choice placements, up from sixth place last year. Other hospitals like Emek and Hadassah Ein Kerem saw declines in their rankings.

For unrecognized graduates, Soroka remained the top preference, followed by Emek Medical Center, Rambam, and Carmel hospitals. The Ministry of Health is simultaneously expanding recognized medical training programs in Israel, increasing domestic medical student numbers from about 900 to over 1,400 recently, with a target of 1,700 annually to strengthen Israel’s medical workforce.

Placement data shows 73% of recognized graduates received their first-choice internship, 13% their second choice, and 97% one of their top five choices. Among unrecognized graduates, 58% got their first choice, 17% their second, and 94% one of their top five, indicating a stable and balanced placement process amid structural changes.