[Results of medical licensing examinations: 1988-1991]

The State of Israel Physicians' Law of 1987 requires all immigrant physicians to pass a state licensing examination in order to practice medicine. The examination is prepared by the Board of Examination for the Medical License, appointed according to the Ministry of Health regulations of 1987. It consists of 220 written multiple choice questions in internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, psychiatry and obstetrics and gynecology. As decided by the Board of Examination, the examinations are given in Hebrew, English, Russian, Spanish, Rumanian, Bulgarian, French, Polish, Portuguese and Arabic. Physicians required to take the examination can participate in special preparatory courses given in university-affiliated hospitals. The mark received at the end of the course is taken into consideration in the final grading of the candidate. Since 1988, 1,985 physicians have been examined, 89.3% of whom were immigrants from Russia and only 3% from Western countries. Of these, 1,968 (65.9%) were licensed. Factors affecting success rate were: age (mean 34 years), with the highest success rate at ages 31-35; length of medical experience, with the best results in those with 11-15 years of experience (mean 12); and country of origin, which is crucial. The success rate in immigrants from Western countries was 79.2%, from South America 72.3% and from Russia and Eastern European countries about 60%.