MoHESR approves Clinical Training Guidelines for health profession students

ABU DHABI, 8th February, 2026 (WAM) — The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR) has adopted the Clinical Training Guidelines to define requirements for effective partnerships between higher education institutions (HEIs) and clinical training facilities, ensuring high-quality educational and practical experiences for health profession students.

The guidelines ensure clinical training governance, a core component of health professions education programmes. They provide a unified framework that integrates theoretical and practical aspects and reinforces the importance of clinical training as a bridge between academic education and labour market needs, contributing to graduating qualified healthcare professionals.

Ibrahim Fikri, Acting Assistant Under-Secretary for the Higher Education and Scientific Research Regulation and Governance Sector, said, “The guidelines complement the Ministry’s recent decision on governing work experience obligations in HEIs and supports efforts to strengthen health education, integrate academic and practical training and prepare qualified national professionals for the healthcare sector. This step reflects our commitment to setting unified standards for clinical training, strengthening the sustainability and efficiency of the healthcare sector and supporting the UAE’s vision for an integrated education and healthcare system that can meet future needs.”

Dr. Hussain Al Rand, Assistant Under-Secretary for the Public Health Sector at the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP), affirmed that adoption of the Clinical Training Guidelines will play a key role in strengthening a comprehensive national framework for developing healthcare professionals, adding that the guidelines not only prioritise professional excellence but also support workforce readiness from the earliest stages of medical and health education.

Dr. Al Rand noted that standardising the frameworks governing clinical training helps align health education outcomes with the evolving needs of the healthcare system. It also ensures the development of clinical skills based on competence, professional responsibility and patient safety, thereby enhancing public health outcomes and the quality of care delivered to the community.

Dr. Al Rand stated that clinical training is key to building a resilient healthcare workforce capable of addressing current and future health challenges, while supporting the long-term sustainability of the national healthcare system. Additionally, he stressed the importance of strong institutional collaboration between educational and healthcare entities to advance the UAE’s goal of developing evidence-based, knowledge-driven health policies.

Dr. Mohammed Al-Houqani, Secretary-General of the National Institute for Health Specialties, stated, “The issuance of the Clinical Training Guidelines marks a pivotal step toward enhancing the quality of practical training across hospitals and healthcare facilities. It ensures the delivery of structured, high-quality training experiences based on unified standards for students in health colleges. The guidelines reflect the Institute’s commitment to strengthening trainees’ competencies and professional readiness, enabling them to seamlessly integrate into the healthcare workforce and contribute effectively to the sustainability and advancement of the healthcare sector.”

The guidelines apply to all health profession programmes requiring clinical training under the National Qualifications Framework, excluding postgraduate programmes such as internships, residencies and fellowships.

The guidelines highlight structured clinical training as a way for students to gain practical experience, develop professional skills and understand the healthcare sector, while also supporting healthcare facilities in building national competencies and fostering partnerships with HEIs.

The guidelines provide a governance framework for clinical training, with clear policies for planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation in work-based settings. They define the roles of HEIs, supervisors, healthcare facilities and the Ministry in oversight, quality assurance and aligning training with national strategies as well as current and future labour market needs.

It also stresses formal, documented partnerships between HEIs and clinical training facilities through binding agreements that cover training scope, capacity, supervisor qualifications, evaluation mechanisms, as well as legal and insurance responsibilities, ensuring continuous, high-quality training without compromising patient care.

The guidelines highlight the clinical training environment, emphasising qualified supervision, adequate educational resources and progressive, competency-based experiences that move from observation to hands-on practice according to students’ academic levels. They establish systematic documentation of clinical training through task records, assessments and observations, enabling continuous monitoring, early challenge detection and ongoing improvement of training outcomes.

MoHESR issued a Ministerial Resolution on Governance of Higher Education Institutions’ Obligations with respect to Students’ Work Experience and launched a guide that provides a unified national framework. This framework defines the roles of HEIs, work experience providers and students, and sets clear supervision and monitoring mechanisms to ensure high-quality work experience nationwide.