The Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery program requires a 12-month social service period, with two promotions in February and August each year.
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Objectives
- To contribute to the country’s development by providing high-quality professional and humane services while prioritizing the population's health and well-being.
- To promote health in underserved communities, such as rural populations and marginalized urban areas, through health promotion activities, prevention, direct assistance, education, and research.
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Duration
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Clinical fields
Clinical fields for social service are of three types:
- Type "A" in care units for an urban population of more than 15,000 inhabitants of lower economic and social development. Part-time no scholarship or minimum scholarship: 5-6 days a week, with four hours per day schedule, only for cases of emergency as interns with health problems or federal workers interns.
- Type "B" for the care units catering to a concentrated rural population of 2,500 to 15,000 inhabitants. This social service requires a full-time commitment and offers a minimum scholarship. The shift is 6 days a week with an 8-hour schedule that includes consultation and field care activities.
- The "C" type of health unit is for auxiliary healthcare needs, the mobile health units are for the difficult-to-access population, and care units are for the population of 1,000 to 2,500 inhabitants. The healthcare professionals will work six days per week, with one day of rest and an 8-hour schedule for care, consultation, field activities, and emergency care 24 hours a day.
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Units
Health centers throughout the country are designed to provide essential medical care. These units have basic amenities such as water, electricity, and sanitary facilities. The physicians doing their social service will have a guaranteed place to live (MPSS for its acronym in Spanish SUPPORT).
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Areas
Social Service can be done in three different areas:
In the rural area
This social service is of utmost importance as it provides healthcare services to rural communities with dispersed populations, some of which have high levels of marginalization and limited access. The service is provided exclusively for 24 hours and is available through a mobile unit, auxiliary health unit, or a dispersed rural health center. This type of social service includes those eligible for a type "C" scholarship.
In research (National Program of Social Service in Research)
Investing in developing human resources for research is crucial for achieving autonomous growth in a country. Strengthening the scientific and technological system within the Health Sector is necessary to improve the quality of care by training individuals dedicated to these specific tasks. The program aims to achieve the following objectives:
- Promote medical students to join research projects since the early stages so they may become researchers.
- Encourage medical school graduates to develop research interests as an essential activity or with their professional work.
- Inspire new generations of doctors to pursue advanced degrees, such as master's degrees and doctorates.
The MPSS support projects must comply with the following requirements:
- Participate in a research study, whether it is basic, clinical, or epidemiological in nature.
- The planned research activities must be feasible to develop within the year of social service.
In specific programmes of the Social Service:
Vinculación / Plazas Universitarias
This program consists of job vacancies that are advertised by educational institutions. The projects offered by these educational institutions are reviewed and evaluated by the Ministry of Health's General Direction of Quality and Education in Health. The program must comply with the regulations and recommendations of the inter-agency Commission for the Formation of Human Resources for Health (CIFRHS). These vacancies are listed in the institution's catalog and are awarded based on the candidate's grade point average in their chosen career.
Sickness or disease
This vacancy is exclusively granted to MPSS support personnel with health issues. The procedure should be requested from the educational institution 90 days before the start of service.
For workers in the service of the Federation
This job placement process is only available to MPSS support staff working for the Federation. Requests must be made to the educational institution at least 90 days before service begins.
