Students to shadow medical professionals

Some 86 Form 4 students from numerous government schools across Malta and Gozo will be taking part in a four-day job-shadowing programme at Mater Dei Hospital, Health Minister Joe Cassar said yesterday.

Speaking at the launch of the programme, Dr Cassar said students would gain work experience through spending time in a specific hospital department, such as the pharmacological, pathological, medical imaging and ophthalmological.

The initiative forms part of a national project, undertaken by the Career Guidance Unit within the Education Ministry, in collaboration with Mater Dei's Human Resources Department.

Dr Cassar added that the students would be able to observe the hospital's operations and its professionals up close. This was aimed at encouraging more students to take an interest in pursuing a medical profession.

Because of a worldwide push in recent years to encourage students into the information technology and financial sectors, there was now a big lack of medical professionals and workers in the Western world, Dr Cassar said.

Fortunately, the job-shadowing initiative had caught on, with interviews having to be held to whittle down the number of applicants to a suitable 86.