Breaking Update
Israeli Medical Interns Favor Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Ministry Plans Training Improvements
Israeli medical interns overwhelmingly favor internal medicine and pediatrics, with 66% getting their first-choice hospital placement. The Health Ministry will.
Jerusalem, 21 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s Health Ministry released the results of its survey of more than 2,000 medical interns, including preferences and placements from the recent lottery for Israeli graduates. Interns reported the highest satisfaction in internal medicine departments, with lower satisfaction in surgery. Popular specialties include family medicine, pediatrics, and internal medicine, with professional interest and challenge cited as the main factors influencing choices.
Additional specialties preferred by the responding interns were neonatology and gynecology, orthopedic surgery, and anesthesia.
Sixty-six percent of Israeli graduates received their first-choice hospital, and 84% received a top-three placement. The ministry said the survey will guide improvements in training, professional guidance, and internship conditions, aiming to strengthen Israel’s next generation of doctors.
