Medical Licensing and Education Pathways for Non-Local Graduates in Hong Kong

LMCHK (Licentiate of the Medical Council of Hong Kong) is a medical license qualification awarded to doctors that passed the rigorous licensing requirements set by the Medical Council of Hong Kong. Only doctors who graduated from medical schools outside of Hong Kong need to earn the LMCHK, and it is a requirement for these doctors to become fully registered to practice medicine in Hong Kong. The rigorous pathway to earn the LMCHK qualification unifies us; with medical school educations outside of Hong Kong, we have worked hard to become local Hong Kong doctors. Key components of attaining LMCHK include passing the Hong Kong Medical Licensing Examination (HKMLE) and undergoing a Period of Assessment.

The Hong Kong Medical Licensing Examination (HKMLE)

The HKMLE is the 3-part licensing examination offered twice per year by the MCHK. Although the HKMLE is sometimes described as a licensing exam for foreigners and overseas doctors, in reality all non-local medical graduates must pass the HKMLE to gain full registration to practice medicine in Hong Kong.

The examination is divided into three distinct parts:

• Part 1: A written assessment consisting of 240 multiple-choice questions delivered over 2 days. About 92% of the examination is devoted to the major clinical specialities, with the remaining 8% covering pre-clinical subjects.
• Part 2: A written English test used to assess candidates command of the language for usage in a professional context. This examination lasts 3 hours and is held usually one day prior to Part 1.
• Part 3: A clinical assessment focusing on four specialties: Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Pediatrics.

To summarize the schedule and structure of the HKMLE, the following table provides a breakdown based on the provided requirements:

Part of the LMCHK Society's mission is to support candidates for the Hong Kong Medical Licensing Examination. Specifically, in the Dec 2019 HKMLE clinical exam, 27 of the 32 candidates that passed were with the Licentiate Society!

The Period of Assessment

After passing the HKMLE, successful candidates are eligible to undergo the period of assessment. The Period of Assessment is the final step of the pathway to attaining the LMCHK qualification, which is required for doctors that graduated from medical schools outside of Hong Kong. Most of these doctors undergo a 12-month internship after passing the HKMLE. The typical Period of Assessment consists of four 3-month Internship rotations in major medical specialties, served along the same rotations as the Hong Kong local graduate doctors.

Note on exemptions: Those that are already specialists may be eligible to receive a 6-month exemption from the length of the Period of Assessment. In addition, as of May 2019, doctors that have passed the HKMLE and worked for 3 years in Hong Kong under Limited Registration from the MCHK are eligible to apply for a complete exemption.

Medical Education and Graduate Entry at HKUMed

For those pursuing medical education within the region, the LKS Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) has launched a four-year full-time Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (Graduate Entry Track) for degree holders. The track shares the same goals and learning outcomes as the accredited MBBS programme, with the ultimate objectives of producing doctors with demonstrated competence in the understanding and delivery of effective, humane and ethical medical care. Year 1 of the track focuses on essential pre-clinical materials followed by Years 2 to 4 dedicated to clinical training. Year 4 comprises the Assistant Internship, which prepares students for clinical practice.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Specialized Training

Beyond general medicine, the healthcare landscape involves significant collaboration. For instance, The Hong Kong Society for the Blind signed an important memorandum with the School of Optometry of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University to provide internship opportunities for students. This agreement aims to promote collaboration between both parties and will provide valuable internship experiences for students of the School of Optometry, enabling them to apply their knowledge in real-world settings. Such initiatives are committed to advancing research and practices in eye protection and blindness prevention to enhance public awareness of visual health.