Shortening the postgraduate internship of doctors and dentists, a new model for residency planning, the introduction of the National Competency Examination and the expansion of the competencies of nurses and midwives - these are the most important assumptions of the draft laws presented by the Health Ministry. The ministry stresses that the changes have been worked out jointly with professional communities and are expected to improve the availability and quality of health care, especially in smaller centers.
MZ shortens doctors' internship and strengthens nurses' competencies. Health Ministry presents changes
Published Feb. 11, 2026 07:28
The Health Ministry has presented a draft amendment to the laws regulating the professions of doctor, dentist, nurse and midwife. As the ministry stresses, the proposed solutions were developed in cooperation with the professional communities and are a response to the real needs of patients and the personnel challenges of the health care system.
The aim of the changes is to improve the availability of services - especially in smaller towns - to make better use of the competencies of the medical profession, and to strengthen the practical dimension of education.
- These projects were not created in cabinets, but in dialogue. From the beginning we worked together with representatives of the environment. We are well aware that this is the only way to develop solutions that are at the same time ambitious, safe and possible to implement in practice," stresses Deputy Health Minister Katarzyna Kęcka.
Shorter internship and new residency rules
One of the key elements of the draft is the reduction of postgraduate internship for physicians from 13 to six months and for dentists from 12 to six months. The ministry argues that medical training has become much more practical in recent years, and the current internship program largely duplicates the results achieved in the sixth year of study. Graduates' competence is to be confirmed qualitatively, rather than solely by the duration of training.
The draft also envisions a new model for residency scheduling. Priority in awarding residency positions is to be given to accredited units in regions with the greatest staff shortages. The ministry promises that this solution will strengthen smaller centers and create new career opportunities for young doctors.
The amendment also provides for strengthening the obligation of doctors and dentists to undergo continuing education. Mechanisms are to be introduced to enforce the implementation of continuing education, and sanctions for inactivity in this regard will be established with the Supreme Medical Chamber.
Another novelty is the introduction of the State Competency Examination, which is to confirm the actual acquisition of specific skills after the first part of specialty training. According to the Ministry of Health, this solution will increase patient safety and the quality of services provided.
New powers and levels of competence for nurses
The draft amendment to the law on the nursing and midwifery professions envisages strengthening the role of these professions in the system. A mandatory, point-based system of continuing professional development will be introduced. The aim of the changes is to raise the quality of postgraduate education and to unify the rules with other medical professions, such as physicians, paramedics, laboratory diagnosticians and pharmacists. Only units accredited by the director of the Center for Medical Postgraduate Education will be allowed to conduct specializations.
The bill also organizes levels of competence, introducing three grades: general nurse, qualified nurse and clinical nurse specialist. The bill envisages the expansion of authority in, among other things, the determination of death in long-term and palliative care and the issuance of sick leave for so-called "infectious advice" by selected groups of nurses. The ministry points out that these changes will translate into faster access to services for patients and real relief for the system.
A nurse's work in community self-help homes, vocational activity centers, sheltered workshops, senior centers and centers for social and vocational rehabilitation of people with disabilities will also be recognized as a form of professional practice. - The proposed regulations will increase the availability of services provided by nurses and midwives, but will also raise the quality of these services. The changes will strengthen smaller centers and put a premium on practical training. This will definitely improve the safety of health care throughout Poland," adds Minister Katarzyna Kęcka.
Currently, the bills are awaiting entry in the Government Work List.
Source: MZ
