Residency Programs

Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) is the largest governmental healthcare institution providing healthcare services to the community of Qatar. HMC is the first healthcare system in the region to achieve prestigious institutional accreditation by the ACGME International LLC (www.acgme-i.org). To date, fourteen (14) of HMC’s residency training programs have successfully achieved ACGME International LLC program accreditation. HMC sponsors more than twenty (20) residency programs and many fellowship programs. In addition, HMC is accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI) as an Academic Medical Center. HMC is also a member of Qatar’s Academic Health System, with a tripartite mission to advance clinical care through teaching, education, and research, and is a primary affiliate of two medical schools in Qatar: Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar and the College of Medicine at Qatar University.

Eligibility Requirements

In order to be eligible to apply for our residency programs, applicants must meet specific requirements. Graduates of Qatar-based medical schools should reference Section A, while graduates of all other medical schools should reference Section B.

Section A: Graduates of Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar (WCM-Q) or Qatar University College of Medicine (QU CMED)

A1. Graduated, or will graduate by 30 June of the intake year, from WCM-Q or QU CMED.

A2. Hold a valid Medical License or be eligible for licensure in:

1. their home country;
2. the country where they currently practice; or, 

iii. Qatar

A3. Passed any one of the following required clinical examinations:

** See http://www.nbme.org for prior year pass score information.

*** Candidates who have written the MCCQE Part 1 exam prior to November 2019 must also provide passing MCCEE results.

Section B: Graduates of Other Medical Schools

B1. Graduated within the past six years from a medical school listed on the register of the World Directory of Medical Schools (https://www.wdoms.org/).

B2. Have completed, or will complete by 30 June of the intake year, an internship training program* or one (1) year of postgraduate, hospital-based training in several major medical specialties.

* An Internship Training Program is 12 months of clinical rotations in major medical specialties (e.g. Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology) usually after graduation from Medical School. The trainee should receive a Certificate of Completion of Internship at the end of the Internship Training Program. Externship Rotations, Observership Rotations, and Clinical Attachment Rotations are not considered internship training. In some instances, we may accept internship training which has been completed as the final year of medical school curriculum.

B3. Hold a valid Medical License or be eligible for licensure in:

1. i. their home country;
2. the country where they currently practice; or, 

iii. Qatar.

B4. Have been in continuous clinical practice in the one-year period preceding application and with no practice gaps of one year or greater at any time since internship completion (without appropriate justification of extenuating circumstances).

B5. Passed any one of the following required clinical examinations:

** See http://www.nbme.org for prior year pass score information.

*** Candidates who have written the MCCQE Part 1 exam prior to November 2019 must also provide passing MCCEE results.

B6. Met the minimum listed score in any one of the following required English language proficiency examinations:

****Applicants who hold a valid Qatar Residency Permit may apply with a TOEFL iBT score of 80 or IELTS score of 6.5 or OET score of 300, but if selected, will be required to raise their score to the above mentioned level prior to the program start date.

Application Dates

The Residency Programs intake typically takes place between 1 August and 30 November, for residents seeking to start their program the following year. The opening and closing of the intake will be announced on this website as well as on the online application portal.

How to Apply

All applications must be submitted through our online application portal, SMApply.

1. Register for a new account at https://hamad.smapply.ioor log in to your existing account. New account registration will only be available while the application intake period is open.
2. a) For new users: complete the Eligibility Quiz, to determine eligibility to apply. Applicants who provide false information in the Eligibility Quiz, in order to bypass the system, may be disqualified from the application process.
   b) For account holders who have previously applied online to our programs: under Account Settings, update your existing Eligibility Quiz, in order to view programs to which you may apply. Programs will only become visible and open for applications while the application intake period is open.
3. Initiate the application. Take note of the unique application number, for future reference.
4. Complete all parts of the application, including the application form and uploading of all required documents. The various sections of the application can be modified or corrected prior to submission; however, no further changes are permitted once submission is complete.
5. Submit the completed application prior to the intake deadline. The system does not allow late submissions and will automatically close to submissions at 11:59 p.m. (Qatar time) on the day of the deadline. Incomplete applications or those not submitted prior to the deadline will not be considered for selection.

We strongly encourage all applicants to review Frequently Asked Questions and Appendix (A) “General Guidelines on Completing the Application” before completing their application. 

Additional Information

Please take careful note of the following:

• TOEFL, IELTS and OET results must be valid at the time of application. The current validity of these exams is two years from the date of testing. Applicants with a score which is valid at the time of application but will expire prior to the program start date should contact our office by email, for early verification of your certificate.
• Applications must be fully complete prior to submission, including all required clinical and English language proficiency examination scores. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that exams are written in sufficient time that scores are available prior to the application deadline.
• All applications will be verified thoroughly for false information. Any discovered instances of plagiarism (e.g. copied Letters of Intent), false information, or manipulation of documents will result in disqualification and withdrawal of your application.

All queries should be addressed to residency@hamad.qa. This email address is monitored Sunday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Qatar time) and queries are dealt with in the order in which they are received.  We endeavor to reply within 2 to 3 business days; however, response time may lengthen during peak periods.  Please do not resend your query multiple times as it may result in a delay in replying to you.