s—4, Medical Officers and Medical Doctors Medical Officers and Medical Doctors provide the consultation for outpatient services at the hospital as wel] as the inpatiegt care of the medical and surgical patients. The recommended miniMum for hospita] at Majuro and Ebeye is one general surgeon wit general practitioners. permits the minimum As soon as the work load demandg recommendation would provide one each one or more and staffing surgeon, one internist, one pediatrician, one obstetrician/gynecologigt and one or more general practitioners. doctor to do itinerate Such a level of staffing would allow one service for consultation continuing a education of the medical assistants on a scheduled visifing basis to each atoll. Complicated medical and surgical cases r@quiring more skilled care or highly specialized services would be referged to Hawaii, Guam or mainland U.S.A. for tertiary medical care. Sufh situations would be few and infrequent. The supervision of medical officers and medical doctdrs is done by the medical director in charge of hospital services and scheduled peer-review continuing education conferences. jis provided A in degree of py formalized suffervision and the form of consglitations and referrals for tertiary care when required. The training of medical officers is recommended to befat the School of Medicine of the University of the South Pacific ing Suva, Fiji. Several medical officers in the Marshalls have been trained at this school but currently there are no candidates in trai ing. strongly recommended that selected candidates be sought a soon as possible. completion of examinations. high The current school and program passing has the It is enrolled as entry requirements of University Entrance The program is five years, with the firgt year being basic science studies on the main campus of the University of the South Pacific and the remaining four years at the School of Medifine. final four years, the first is preclinical basic science Of the followed by three years of clinical study and experience in medical/surgical areas. Study is currently being undertaken to expand the trainifig program to seven years which would result in a fully qualified medicafl WG the M.D. degree. doctor with