The Family Medicine Residency Program is a three-year full-time program, aimed at training family physicians. This Program offers education in accordance with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) core competencies.

Continuity of comprehensive care for the diverse patient population family physicians serve is foundational to the speciality. Access, accountability, effectiveness and efficiency are essential elements of the discipline. The coordination of patient care and leadership of advanced primary care practices and evolving health care systems are additional vital roles for family physicians.

In correspondence to the 40th Anniversary of the Alma-Ata Declaration, after the WHO Global Conference in Primary Care held in October 2018 in Astana, representatives of governments declared:’ We are convinced that strengthening primary health care (PHC) is the most inclusive, effective and efficient approach to enhance people’s physical and mental health, as well as social well-being and that PHC is a cornerstone of a sustainable health system for universal health coverage (UHC) and health-related Sustainable Development.

Career: Residency graduates continue working as physicians.

The aims of the Nazarbayev University School of Medicine’s Family Medicine Residency are to:

• Train residents to become excellent family physicians who care for the Kazakhstani community, especially the underserved populations;
• Provide training in behavioural medicine and family dynamics to foster the physician’s awareness of the importance of the family unit in treating the patient;
• Provide physicians training experiences in outpatient care effectively and appropriately according to Evidence-based Medicine and updated international standards;
• Provide residents with basic skills necessary to implement preventive care and to consistently educate patients about health and wellness, supporting health advocacy and patient education in Kazakhstan;
• Support appropriate training in mental health, women's health, palliative medicine, communicable and communicable diseases fostering community health with broader competencies

Family Medicine physicians have a wide range of career opportunities due to their broad medical training and ability to provide comprehensive care. Here are some of the key career paths available to family physicians. Here are the most common:

1. Clinical Medicine:

• Urban Clinical Practice: family medicine outpatient clinics based all over the country
• Rural Clinical Practice: There is a high demand for family physicians in rural or underserved regions, offering the opportunity to serve communities with limited access to healthcare.
• Private Practice: opportunity to collaborate or create private practice insurance-based clinics

2. Academic Medicine:

• Teaching: Family physicians can work as educators (faculty) in medical schools, teaching the next generation of doctors and/or precepting in clinics with observing medical students.
• Research: Opportunities exist in clinical research, often focusing on primary care, preventive medicine, or community health.

3. Public Health:

• Health Departments and Community Medicine: Family physicians can work in local, state, or national health departments, focusing on community health, disease prevention, and public health policy.
• Global Health: Involvement in international health organizations or NGOs, addressing global health issues and improving healthcare systems in developing countries.

4.Administrative Roles:

• Medical Director: Overseeing medical operations in hospitals, clinics, or healthcare organizations.
• Healthcare Administration: Leadership roles in healthcare organizations, shaping policy, and improving care delivery.

5.Consulting and Advisory Roles:

• Pharmaceutical Industry: Working as a consultant or advisor in the development of medications and clinical trials.
• Healthcare Consulting: Providing expertise to healthcare organizations on improving patient care, efficiency, and overall operations.

6.Telemedicine development:

• With the growing acceptance of telemedicine, family physicians can provide virtual care, expanding access to patients in remote or underserved areas.

7.Specialization and Fellowships: in NU SOM and outside NU SOM

Family Medicine Physicians can pursue further education trough PhD and fellowships such as:

• PhD in Clinical Medicine
• PhD in Global Health
• Sport Medicine Fellowship: Specializing in the treatment of athletes and sports-related injuries.
• Palliative Care: Specializing in the management of chronic illnesses and end-of-life care.
• Mental Health: Specializing in common mental health problems

By the end of the Family medicine Residency Program, the residents should achieve the graduation target in the majority of the ACGME Milestones for Family Medicine specialty, as follows:

1) Patient Care:

• Cares for acutely ill or injured patients in urgent and emergent situations and in all settings (PC1);
• Cares for patients with chronic conditions (PC2);
• Partners with the patient, family, and community to improve health through disease prevention and health promotion (PC3);
• Partners with the patient to address issues of ongoing signs, symptoms, or health concerns that remain over time without clear diagnosis despite evaluation and treatment, in a patient-centered, cost-effective manner (PC4);
• Performs specialty-appropriate procedures to meet the health care needs of individual patients, families, and communities, and is knowledgeable about procedures performed by other specialists to guide their patients’ care (PC5).

2) Medical Knowledge:

• Demonstrates medical knowledge of sufficient breadth and depth to practice family medicine (MK1);
• Applies critical thinking skills in patient care (MK2).

3) System-based Practice:

• Provides cost-conscious medical care (SPB1);
• Emphasizes patient safety (SPB2);
• Advocates for individual and community health (SPB3);
• Coordinates team-based care (SPB4).

4) Practice-based Learning and Improvement:

• Locates, appraises, and assimilates evidence from scientific studies related to the patients’ health problems (PBLI1);
• Demonstrates self-directed learning (PBLI2);
• Improves systems in which the physician provides care (PBLI3).

5) Professionalism:

• Completes a process of professionalization (P1);
• Demonstrates professional conduct and accountability (P2);
• Demonstrates humanism and cultural proficiency (P3);
• Maintains emotional, physical, and mental health; and pursues continual personal and professional growth (P4).

6) Communication:

• Develops meaningful, therapeutic relationships with patients and families (C1);
• Communicates effectively with patients, families, and the public (C2);
• Develops relationships and effectively communicates with physicians, other health professionals, and health care teams (C3);
• Utilizes technology to optimize communication (C4).

The residency program is a journey hands-on that will lead the medical graduate to be a

competent and independent medical specialist. To do so it is necessary to provide the candidate with continuously work with patients, in different settings, under supervision and mentoring that will progressively reduce over time.

The learning outcomes will be delivered in Family Medicine setting primarily the Poliklinik N9 in Astana city, but also in different clinics to broaden the experience of the candidate (block rotations in Pediatrics, Gynecology, Surgery, Internal Medicine), these will be mainly the UMC hospitals Mother and Child, Cardiac Center, City Hospital n2, Presidential hospital, Infectious Disease Hospital, TB Hospital, Psychiatric Hospital, Traumatology Hospital. The candidate will also attend didactic sessions in NUSOM with other residency programs. Integral part of scientific medical knowledge is the independent study.

STEP 1. Create your personal account

Register on www.admissions.nu.edu.kz portal to create a Personal Account. Read the instructions about the application procedure given in your Personal account.

STEP 2. Complete your Application Form and attach the required documents

Fill out the application form and attach the required documents:

1. Scanned copy of a National ID card or passport;
2. Scanned copy of secondary school or higher education institution certificate (attestat/diploma) with final academic performance or certificate from the school (spravka) according to the sample in the personal account;
3. Motivation letter in English;
4. Valid copies of certificates. The results of standardized tests must be sent directly to the University through test administrators.

STEP 3. Pay an application fee

The application fee is paid online via your personal account with a bank card.

The application fee is 10 000 tenge and it is increased 3 times from the established amount when paid within the last two weeks before the first officially approved deadline and/or during the extension period for accepting applications for participation in the admission process. This amount is non-refundable.

Step 4. Finish the registration process

Finish the registration process by pressing the “Submit application” button. After submission applicants can’t change their applications.

Step 5. Upload IELTS/TOEFL certificates

Upload IELTS/TOEFL certificates in your personal account in the section "Upload IELTS/TOEFL" and fill up the required information about the certificate.

Further steps

Check your e-mail for notifications from the NU Admissions Department and your personal account to learn about your application status.

If you experience any difficulties with the registration or online application, please contact info_admissions@nu.edu.kz. Refer to your IIN and/or Applicant ID while sending us your requests.

Online application deadline for the residency program: February 12, 2024 - June 10, 2024.

All registered candidates can check the status of their application in the Personal account. Description of the status below is presented in the order of assignment to the candidate in the Personal account.

Application in processing. This is interim status, which means that the application is being processed. Admissions Committee will evaluate the application and inform the candidate on further steps/stages. Notification on final results will be sent to your email address.

Does not meet entry requirements. The status is assigned to the candidates who do not meet the minimum entry requirements. It is given after checking the application forms and the documents by the Admissions Department.

Disqualified. The status is assigned to candidates who are disqualified for gross violations of the conditions of the competition. For example, provided deliberately false information.

Rejected by Admissions Committee. At one of the competition stages, the Admissions Committee decided to reject the candidate’s application.

Transfer to another program. At the stage of an application screening the Admissions Committee has decided to recommend the candidate for consideration by the Admissions Committee of another program within the same School.

Pending. Candidate’s application is pending.

Waiting list. The Admissions Committee has finished reviewing the candidate’s application and made a decision to put you on a waiting list. Such candidates should expect notification from the University, as there is a possibility that if other candidates reject to study, they may be sent an invitation letter to study.

Recommended for admission to Zero Year of Graduate programs. The Admissions Committee has decided to recommend the candidate for the Zero Year of Graduate program. “Zero Year of Graduate programs” is a two-semester full-time program for candidates, who do not meet the language requirements for direct admission to Master’s programs, with intensive language, academic and research preparation for Master’s programs.

Recommended for admission to program. Admissions Committee has decided to recommend candidate for the program without going through the Zero Year of Graduate programs.

Recommended for conditional admission. The Admissions Committee has decided to recommend a candidate for the conditional admission with a requirement to fulfill the condition by the deadline specified in the notification.

Withdrawn. Candidate decided to withdraw from the competition.

Accepted Program admission offer. The status is assigned to candidates who received offer letter, signed Enrollment confirmation form and fulfilled all the сonditions of the University indicated in the offer letter.

Accepted Zero Year of Graduate programs admission offer. The status is assigned to candidates who received offer letter to Zero Year of Graduate program, signed Enrollment confirmation form and fulfilled all the сonditions of the University indicated in the offer letter.

Refused admission offer. The candidate was recommended for admission, but refused to study.

Refused in favor of another NU program. The status is applicable for those candidates, who applied for several graduate programs at NU. The status is assigned when the candidate chooses another program.

Deferred. The status is assigned to candidates who were accepted for the program, but decided to postpone their studies until the next year.

Did not submit the documents/Refused. The status assigned to candidates who did not provide originals of the documents by the stated deadline, which means that the candidate refuses to study at University.

Did not come to Orientation week/Refused. The status is assigned to candidates who accepted the offer letter, provided hard copies of documents, but did not participate in Orientation week. The vacant place, if available, can be offered to the candidates in the Waiting list.

Enrolled to program. The status is assigned to candidates who enrolled to the main program by the Decision of the Provost. Candidate officially became a student.

Enrolled to Zero Year of Graduate programs. The status is assigned to candidates who enrolled to the Zero Year of Graduate program by the Decision of the Provost. Candidate officially became a student.

Postgraduate Level (PL) –Year 1

The “Intern” year (1st-year Residents) focuses on the clinical experience with patients affected with acute and chronic illnesses in several inpatient and outpatient departments and primary care centres, with appropriate supervision from UMC Attending Physicians and/or NU SOM Faculty.

The residents will pass through a series of 4-week rotations at inpatient and outpatient departments,

Postgraduate Level (PL) - Year 2

The second year will be devoted to acquiring additional clinical skills, developing more independence, and gaining more experience in leadership and supervision.

Supervisory roles will be provided on inpatient and outpatient services, in both general and subspecialty medical and surgical teams. New skill sets will be developed also in the Medical Centre for Mental Health Problems (MCMHP), located in Astana’s hospitals outside the UMC. The remaining part of the year will consist of further subspecialties rotations, including outpatient clinics and longitudinal clinic experiences, as a foundation for family medicine practice.

Moreover, the Residents will be encouraged to cultivate and broaden their potential research interests, through mentored and individual quality improvement and NU SOM research projects.

Postgraduate Level (PL) - Year 3

The third year will emphasize supervisory experiences in the inpatient general and subspecialty general medical and surgical teams, as well as in primary care centres. In this regard, part of the year will consist of elective rotations (which allow each Resident to shape own clinical training and to concentrate on areas of interest and career-specific experiences) or will be focused on longitudinal experiences that may continue in primary care settings.

In the former case, substantial research and elective time will be provided to the Residents, in order to explore their specific skills, prepare for their future careers and eventually to enter in specific Academic Programs. In the latter case, also community service opportunities will be available and encouraged, like rotations in either a rural practice or an urban community.