Survey Reveals Top Hospitals for Medical Internships in Israel with Ziv and Ichilov Leading

A recent survey conducted by the Israeli Ministry of Health among 1,831 medical interns who completed their internships in 2025 reveals significant differences in satisfaction levels across hospitals and departments. The survey assessed four core rotations: internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, and emergency medicine, focusing on training quality, mentorship, team integration, rest conditions, and willingness to recommend the department.

Internal medicine departments received the highest satisfaction rate at 73.3%, followed by emergency rooms at 70.6%, pediatrics at 69.4%, while surgical departments lagged behind with only 49.1%. Despite a slight improvement from 47% in 2024, surgery remains the least favored rotation. Satisfaction with guidance and mentorship increased by about four percentage points across all departments.

Among major medical centers, Ichilov Hospital leads with an average satisfaction of approximately 73.5%, excelling in internal medicine (82%), surgery (54%), pediatrics (75%), and emergency medicine (83%). In pediatrics, Beilinson Hospital slightly surpasses Ichilov with 76% satisfaction. Conversely, Beilinson scored the lowest in surgery among top centers at 33%. Smaller hospitals like Ziv Medical Center stand out with exceptionally high satisfaction rates across all rotations, averaging 87.8%, including 91% in emergency medicine.

Other notable hospitals include Meir Medical Center, which scored 82% in internal medicine and 75% in emergency medicine, and Emek Medical Center, with 78% satisfaction in emergency medicine. Barzilai Hospital ranked lowest among medium-sized hospitals in all rotations. The survey highlights that satisfaction varies significantly not only by hospital but also by department, affecting interns' experiences.

The survey also explored future specialization preferences, with internal medicine, pediatrics, and family medicine being the top choices. The main factors influencing these choices were interest and challenge in the field, followed by satisfaction with the internship rotation and potential earnings. Geographically, central Israel remains the preferred region for specialization, followed by Haifa.

An interesting finding is that graduates from foreign medical schools reported higher satisfaction in emergency and surgical departments compared to Israeli graduates, who made up about 30.7% of respondents. The survey was conducted before the implementation of a new internship reform that shortened the internship and changed evaluation processes, making future surveys critical to assess the reform's impact.

Dr. Hagar Mizrahi, head of the Ministry of Health’s medical division, emphasized the importance of the internship phase in shaping Israel’s future medical workforce and noted the positive trend in satisfaction alongside areas needing improvement. The data underscores that the quality of the internship experience can influence young doctors’ future career and workplace choices, a crucial factor for Israel’s healthcare system amid ongoing recruitment and retention challenges.