• Goal of the Adaptation Period: The goal of this period is to verify that the new immigrant specialist is able to work as a physician in Israel, has a sufficient level of training, knowledge, clinical approach, and interpersonal skills, is familiar with the Israeli medical system and is able to work within it.
• Duration: The standard adaptation period is 3 months and shall be undertaken consecutively and on a full-time basis.
• In deciding about a physician’s request for recognition of a specialty and sub-specialty (which is recognized in Israel as subspecialty of that specialty), the specialty committee may decide on a single adjustment period with a department director who is a specialist in both the specialty and sub-specialty, and who will provide a recommendation on granting a specialty certificate to the applicant physician for both fields.
• A physician who has received a recommendation for recognizing his/her specialty after successfully completing the phase 2 exam is not required to undergo an adaptation period.
• Location of the adaptation period: The appropriate framework for an adaptation period (i.e., a department, clinic, institute, etc.), will be determined by the specialty committee. The adaptation period can be performed in any institution accredited in Israel for residency for at least two-thirds of the residency period, for that specialty.
• Activity and Content: For the duration of the adaptation period, the physician must be exposed to all the ongoing work of the department, while carrying out all necessary activity in his/her specialty.
• Evaluation Form: At the end of the adaptation period, the director of the department in which the physician worked will send a recommendation letter to the Scientific Council, including the dates of the beginning and end of the adaptation period. In addition, the director will detail the physician’s actual clinical work, his/her evaluation and recommendation.
• If the opinion of the director of the department in which the adaptation period was carried out is not positive, the director will be asked to estimate the residency period that the applicant physician must complete. The committee, based on this recommendation, will determine its requirements of the applicant physician in order to complete the specialty or sub-specialty and receive certification.
• The Committee may consider shortening the adaptation period to a minimum of one month in the following cases:
  • The physician studied medicine in Israel and has an Israeli license to practice medicine.
  • The physician worked in Israel for at least 5 years as a physician and presented a letter of recommendation
  • The physician is internationally known as an authority in his field of specialty and presented letters from two directors of departments and / or physicians in the position of at least associate professor in Israel in the field of his expertise confirming it and supporting his application.

In order to facilitate the process for foreign doctors who intend to immigrate to Israel, the Ministry of Health and the Scientific Council of the IMA have decided to allow such doctors, whose specialty has been recognized by the Scientific Council, subject to the completion of an adaptation period in Israel, to execute this period prior to their arrival in Israel, with the status of a tourist practicing with a limited permit.

Doctors that complete the adaptation period required will be eligible to obtain an Israeli specialist certificate shortly after their aliya, and thereby start their work in Israel as an specialist, subject to final approval of the Scientific Council.

An adaptation period carried out within this framework will be valid for three years.

Detailed information regarding the limited permit can be found on the website of the Medical Professions Licensing Division at www.health.gov.il/professions

Completion of the adaptation period

With the completion of the adaptation period, the applying physician is requested to send the scientific council the following documents:

1. Application form
2. Evaluation form, completed and signed by the head of the department.
3. Valid Israeli medical license

After receiving and reviewing these documents, the application will be signed by the chairman of the scientific council and sent to the Ministry of health, the body authorized by law to approve and issue the specialty certificate.