Observership Programs

Selected List of Medical Observerships

• Intensive Care Unit Observership

  Rambam’s Department of Critical Care Medicine treats patients with multi-system disorders, and is the largest of its kind in Northern Israel. The department also provides treatment for trauma and burns, including major surgery in most medical fields, and treats hospitalized patients with severe and chronic diseases that threaten critical life systems.

  The department’s team of physicians, nurses, respiratory technicians, social workers, physical therapists, and dieticians is able to meet the special needs of patients under extreme circumstances, including artificial respiration, pharmacological treatment to stabilize heart function, different types of dialysis, and various complex monitoring and treatment modalities.

  The department uses advanced respiratory and treatment techniques, supported by the most sophisticated monitoring technologies available. Collaborations with biotechnology companies are pursued, to develop the next generation of medical technologies and devices. The department’s medical team is also involved in innovative research to develop their own monitoring and treatment systems.

  In addition to its clinical activities, the department participates in international clinical studies, such as examination of new drugs for treatment of sepsis, and provides training to medical and nursing students. The department’s team also leads the "Northern Intensive Care" forum for sharing professional knowledge and participates in professional conferences in Israel and overseas.

• Level 1 Trauma Center | Emergency Medicine

  The only Level 1 Trauma Center for Northern Israel is located at Rambam, which serves as the referral hospital for 10 district hospitals in the region. The Trauma Center is the heartbeat of trauma activity at Rambam.

  Of the 40,000 trauma patients treated annually in the Emergency Department, almost 4,000 require hospitalization; more than 700 of those are severely injured, making Rambam the busiest trauma center in the country. Of these injured patients, 20% are referrals from other hospitals, and 38% require immediate surgery.

  Rambam’s Trauma Shock Room is prepared to treat injured patients 24/7 in a modern and well-equipped facility. The trauma team is comprised of two surgeons, two nurses, an attending trauma physician, and a trauma coordinator. All trauma surgeons have successfully completed the Advanced Trauma Life Support Course (ATLS) and Definitive Surgical Trauma Care Course (D.S.T.C). This team is supported by all the hospital’s surgical and medical services and facilities, social workers, psychiatric, and other care givers.

  Since 1999, the Trauma Center staff also runs The Teaching Center for Trauma, Emergency and Mass Casualty Situations (MCS) at Rambam Health Care Campus, which offers various courses on the management and administration of trauma and MCS. Courses are given both in Israel and abroad. To date they have trained more than 3,000 participants from 61 countries.

• Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care

  Rambam’s Department of Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care is one of the most advanced in Israel and cares for some 5,200 newborn infants annually. It is comprised of two wards: The Well-Baby Nursery (headed by Professor Imad Makhoul) and the Department of Neonatal Intensive Care and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) (headed by Professor Amir Kugelman). The Well-baby nursery cares for approximately 4,700 newborn infants each year while the NICU treats some 500 premature and newborns annually, including premature infants weighing under 500 grams.

  The NICU provides a wide range of treatments using the most advanced technologies and techniques, some of which are unique to Rambam, including neurosurgery, cardiac surgery to correct congenital heart defects, identification and treatment of metabolic diseases, and congenital nephrology disorders.

  The department's staff of highly experienced specialists provides expert consultation services to the various pediatric departments and receives infants with complex disorders from all of the hospitals in Northern Israel. Pregnant women at high risk and families of infants in the department also have access to consultation and training from a pediatric psychologist, and support services from the department's social worker.

  The department’s staff perform a wide range of research activities, including innovative therapies and evidence-based research that is being published in the world’s leading pediatric journals. They are also involved in teaching medical, nursing, and occupational therapy students from the Technion, and also provide special courses for registered nurses.

• Obstetrics and Gynecology

  The Division of Obstetrics & Gynecology includes under its auspices all healthcare issues related to women and mothers. It provides the full range of gynecological, obstetric, and pre-natal services including pre-natal diagnoses, management of high risk pregnancies, ultrasound examinations, fertility treatments, and onco-gynecological treatments and therapies. The division's In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Unit is renowned for its high rate of successful pregnancies.

  The division is one of the largest at Rambam Health Care Campus, and includes a team of 40 physicians and around 100 nurses, with 90 inpatient beds, and 6 professional units and research laboratories. The labor and delivery rooms were designed to maximize patient comfort, featuring the most advanced equipment and options for natural childbirth.

  The division’s team is trained in a wide range of diagnostics and treatments aimed at providing optimal high quality medical care. A strong emphasis is placed on patient respect and wellbeing to promote the most positive experience possible for them and their families.

  The division includes:

  • The Gynecology and Endoscopic Surgery Unit for diagnosing and treating a wide spectrum of related disorders.
  • The Onco-Gynecology Unit for treating women with gynecological malignancies.
  • The Ultrasound Unit, which serves the entire division with diagnostic and consultation services, including ultrasound for pregnant women. 
  • The IVF Unit and Sperm Bank, providing the entire range of services related to infertility and fertility.