The Ministry of Health and Welfare in South Korea has announced that 60 teaching hospitals have been selected for the 2025 Training Environment Innovation Programme for Trainee Doctors, kicking off a full-scale initiative to improve the training environment for future doctors.
This programme supports hospitals in strengthening their training systems for interns and eight core medical specialties. By focusing on creating better learning conditions, the initiative aims to reinforce the role of trainee doctors as learners, not just workers.
The programme seeks to invest in building a stronger professional medical workforce and raising the overall quality of healthcare across the country.
With the programme now underway at 60 teaching hospitals, these institutions are expected to begin making real improvements to training conditions. They will work to standardise training programmes as well as create environments that support trainee doctors in developing the knowledge, skills, along with a professional mindset needed to become future specialists.
The selected hospitals will receive targeted support, including funding as well as expert guidance, to implement structured training plans and improve educational infrastructure. Key areas of focus are enhanced supervision, ensuring balanced workloads, promoting a culture of throughout learning and feedback, etc.
The Ministry also focuses to monitor progress through regular evaluations and feedback from both trainees as well as hospital administrators. By aligning training environments with global standards, the government hopes to cater to the long-standing issues in medical education and polish more young doctors within the national healthcare system. This step showcases a broader commitment to sustainable, high-quality medical training along with patient care.
Executive Statement
According to Kim Guk-il, Director General for Healthcare Policy, this innovation programme will serve as a springboard for trainee doctors to polish into capable medical professionals who will add on to the healthcare system of the future.