Licentiate of the Medical Council of Hong Kong (LMCHK) is a

medical license A medical license is an occupational license that permits a person to legally practice medicine. In most countries, a person must have a medical license bestowed either by a specified government-approved professional association or a governme ...

issued by the Medical Council of

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

to doctors that have graduated from medical schools outside of Hong Kong and have met the requirements for such licensure in Hong Kong. The Medical Council of Hong Kong requires that these non-locally graduated doctors display the LMCHK qualification as a

post-nominal title Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, ...

first, before listing any other quotable qualifications, such as MD or

MBBS Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

. The LMCHK are represented by the Licentiate Society, an independent, non-profit organization.

History

Prior to the 1997 handover, graduates of non-Commonwealth jurisdictions had to obtain the LMCHK medical license before being eligible to practice medicine in Hong Kong. During this Colonial era, doctors of

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

countries were automatically granted registration by the MCHK without taking an examination or undergoing a internship or other period of assessment. A few hundred of the Colonial doctors remain in practice in Hong Kong today. Since 1997, all non-locally trained doctors have to obtain the LMCHK medical license from the MCHK. Consequently, the countries of origin of the LMCHK doctors have changed dramatically in the last 20 years; the group is now much more diverse.

Aims

A key facet of the attaining the LMCHK is passing the Hong Kong Medical Licensing Examination ( HKMLE). According to the Medical Registration Ordinance, the purpose of passing the HKMLE shows the achievement of a standard acceptable for registration as a medical practitioner in Hong Kong.

Process

The process involves assessment of the doctors’

medical education Medical education is education related to the practice of being a medical practitioner, including the initial training to become a physician (i.e., medical school and internship (medical), internship) and additional training thereafter (e.g., Re ...

and professional knowledge, and have been found to be consistent with the high standards established and demanded by the Medical Council of Hong Kong. To be awarded the LMCHK designation, the doctors must pass the rigorous HKMLE and undergo a period of assessment. To start the process of attaining LMCHK from the Medical Council of Hong Kong, doctors must apply after having fulfilled at least 5 years of non-local medical training, including having graduated from an accredited medical school outside of Hong Kong and completed an

internship An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gover ...

in a hospital. Once attained, the LMCHK designation allows holders of the qualification to register as medical practitioners in Hong Kong. LMCHK doctors must thus be both licensed and registered to practice medicine in Hong Kong. In contrast, graduates of HKU and CUHK are eligible to directly register as medical practitioners in Hong Kong after internship by virtue of their local medical school degree without having to first seek a medical license.

Society

The rigorous requirements for LMCHK doctors and their increasing numbers has fostered a camaraderie among them. In 2017, the LMCHK doctors founded a non-profit, professional association called The Medical Licentiate Society of Hong Kong (Licentiate Society) to represent them and to meet their group's professional needs.

References

External links

Medical Council of Hong KongMedical Licentiate Society of Hong Kong
{{DEFAULTSORT:Licentiate of the Medical Council of Hong Kong Healthcare in Hong Kong Medical credentials Professional titles and certifications