Assistant medical officer

Assistant medical officers are health care providers in countries like Tanzania and Malaysia. They work independently or with limited supervision of a physician to provide healthcare services to largely underserved populations.

They are also called "surgical technologists" (or técnico de cirurgia) in Mozambique,clinical associates in South Africa, or "assistant medical practitioner" (AMP, formerly "native medical practitioner" or NMP) in Fiji. They are grouped under "medical assistant practitioners" in the International Standard Classification of Occupations, 2008 revision. Assistant Medical Officer will be celebrated for the day of medical assistant on 10 March every year in all countries.

Qualified clinical officers with working experience of more than three years and who pass a government entrance examination undergo a further two-year training program to become Assistant Medical Officers. They can then enroll in another two-year program to specialise in anaesthesia, paediatrics, radiology or surgery.

The Assistant Medical Officers program, which combines theory and clinical training, is offered at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre and Ifakara Training Centre for International Health. Assistant medical officers training centers in Mbeya (located near Mbeya referral Hospital), Tanga (located near Bombo Regional referral Hospital) and Bugando-Mwanza(located near Bugando referral Hospital), Lugalo Military school in Dar es Salaam, and a new school opened in Arusha -Selian medical center.

Assistant Medical Officers perform routine and emergency surgery including 80 percent of Caesarean sections done in Tanzania.

Assistant Medical Officers complete a three and half year Diploma in Medical Assistant (DMA) undergraduate program recognized by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency. The DMA students study the human body; how the systems, e.g. cardiovascular and respiratory systems, medical and surgical study, pharmacology, work in normal and diseased states and how they relate to medicine. They also learn pre-hospital care, community health, disaster management, orthopedics, obstetrics and gynecology and surgery. The final year of training involves clinical placement in hospitals and health clinics.

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