Medicine Schools and Programs in Panama

Medicine Studies in Panama

In Panama, medicine is a first university degree that leads to the title of Doctor en Medicina. Students enter directly from secondary school, and the degree is only the first step: graduates must then pass a national basic certification exam and complete a hospital internship (internado) before they can practise on their own. Teaching is in Spanish.

SpainExchange lists 1 school in Panama that teaches medicine: the Universidad de Panamá, the country's national university in Panama City. It opened on 7 October 1935 and was re-accredited for six years in its most recent institutional accreditation. Its School of Medicine opened in 1951, became the Faculty of Medicine in 1953, and its first doctors graduated on 18 February 1955.

How the medical degree is organised

The Faculty of Medicine has schools of medicine, medical technology, nutrition and dietetics, and public health. The Doctor en Medicina programme aims to train doctors in health promotion, protection and maintenance, and in the treatment and rehabilitation of patients. The current study plan dates from 2011 and was updated in 2018 (plan 0004). The faculty publishes the final report of the accreditation process of its medicine programme with COMAEM.

After graduation, the faculty is also involved in postgraduate clinical training. It offers master's programmes in clinical sciences with specialisation in internal medicine, paediatrics, psychiatry, general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, and family medicine, as well as degrees in medical technology and nutrition.

Admission

The Faculty of Medicine admits a limited number of students each year, and applicants must meet the general entry requirements of the Universidad de Panamá. Key points of the admission process for 2027:

• Medicine only accepts applicants who choose it as their first option
• The admission test for medicine is taken on site, on the applicant's own laptop, tablet or phone
• Results for the faculty's programmes are published from 11 January 2027
• The university's admissions office publishes separate registration steps for foreign applicants

The faculty publishes estimated costs for each of its degree programmes. Applicants should check the current figures with the faculty's admissions office.

After the degree: certification, internship and specialisation

Before starting the internship, graduates take the basic certification exam in medicine (examen de certificación básica en medicina). In 2026 it was held on 16 January, 16 May and 22 August. Internships and residencies are governed by Executive Decree 62 of 27 June 2024, the general regulation for interns and residents.

Under current law the medical internship lasts two years. In September 2026, according to La Prensa, the Minister of Health said that a bill to reduce it to one year was almost finished; this was only a proposal and had not become law. The Colegio Médico de Panamá considers the change viable if clinical training is strengthened. Check the current length with the Ministry of Health (Minsa) or the Faculty of Medicine. Specialist training follows through a national residency competition, which also has application forms for foreign doctors.

Doctors who studied abroad deal with the Faculty of Medicine as well: it publishes the requirements for exemption from revalidation of foreign medical degrees, the rules of the general medical knowledge exam, and the requirements for starting an internship in Panama.

Frequently asked questions

Which university teaches medicine in Panama?

SpainExchange lists the Universidad de Panamá, whose Faculty of Medicine has trained doctors since the 1950s and awards the title of Doctor en Medicina.

Can foreigners apply to study medicine at the Universidad de Panamá?

Yes. The university's admissions office has a separate registration procedure for foreign applicants, but places in medicine are limited and the programme only accepts applicants who choose it as their first option.

What happens after the medical degree in Panama?

Graduates take the basic certification exam in medicine and then complete a hospital internship. Under current law it lasts two years; in September 2026 the government was preparing a bill to shorten it to one year, which was not yet law.

Is the programme taught in English?

No. Medicine at the Universidad de Panamá is taught in Spanish.