What is a house job? Meaning, rules and what comes after
A house job is the one-year supervised training every MBBS and BDS graduate in Pakistan must finish before full PMDC registration. Here is what it means, how it is structured, and why it matters for FCPS and your career.
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House job meaning
You have passed your final professional exam. Now comes the year when you find out what being a doctor actually feels like. That year is the house job: twelve months of supervised hospital work that every new MBBS (and BDS) graduate in Pakistan does before full PMDC registration. The doctor doing it is the house officer, or HO. India calls the same stage an internship; in the UK it is close to foundation year 1.
You have the degree, but you are still learning to make clinical decisions with a senior there to catch you. You clerk patients, take calls and run the ward work, and by the end of the year PMDC is ready to trust you on your own.
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The PMDC Registration Regulations 2023 set the main rules:
| Rule | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Provisional registration first | You need valid PMDC provisional registration before the house job starts. Work done before it does not count. |
| One year, four modules | For MBBS graduates, four three-month modules: internal medicine, an allied medical department, general surgery and an allied surgical department. A module shorter than three months does not count. BDS graduates have their own four-rotation structure. |
| Approved hospitals only | Every module must be in a hospital PMDC approves for house jobs. Stand-alone hospitals without their own college must be on PMDC's approved list. |
| BLS during the year | A Basic Life Support certificate during the house job is needed for full registration. |
| Paid house job | Each college must offer a paid house job to its own graduates, and a private hospital may not pay them less than the highest public-sector stipend in its province. A hospital that takes graduates of other colleges does not have the same duty to pay, so ask before you join. |
Stipend amounts are set by provincial governments and change, so check the current figure with your hospital or the provincial health department.
What a house officer actually does
- Clerks new admissions: history, examination and a first plan.
- Writes daily notes, requests and chases investigations, and prepares discharges.
- Takes on-call duty, usually the first doctor to see a sick patient on the ward at night.
- Presents patients on ward rounds and carries out the consultant's plan.
- Does basic procedures such as cannulas, catheters and blood samples.
There will be exhausting calls, endless discharge summaries and days when nothing goes to plan. You will also remember, years later, the first patient you managed well on your own. Our house job survival guide covers the first weeks, on-calls and ward rounds.
Why the house job matters for your career
- Full PMDC registration. Finishing the house job is how you move from provisional to full registration, which you need to practise independently.
- FCPS Part 1. CPSP requires a completed house job to sit FCPS Part 1. The deadline has varied: CPSP's older rule asked for it to be finished two months before the exam, while the notification for January 2027 said before the exam date. Always check the notification for your own sitting. See FCPS Part 1 dates.
- Postgraduate training. Induction into training posts and most jobs after MBBS expect a completed house job.
Many doctors start preparing for FCPS Part 1 during the house job. If that is you, read studying for FCPS Part 1 during house job, and practise a few FCPS Part 1 MCQs on quieter days.
Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of house job?
A house job is the one-year supervised hospital training a new doctor in Pakistan must complete after MBBS or BDS, before full registration with PMDC. The doctor is called a house officer.
How long is a house job in Pakistan?
One year, made up of four three-month modules, under the PMDC Registration Regulations 2023.
Is a house job paid?
For a college's own graduates, yes: PMDC rules say each college must offer them a paid house job, and private hospitals may not pay them less than the highest public-sector stipend in their province. Hospitals taking graduates of other colleges do not have the same duty, so ask before you join.
Can I do a house job in any hospital?
No. Every module must be in a PMDC-approved hospital for house jobs. Check PMDC's approved list before you join.
Is a house job the same as an internship?
Broadly, yes. It is Pakistan's supervised first year after graduation, similar to India's internship or the UK's foundation year 1, though the rules differ from country to country.
Official sources
- PMDC Registration Regulations 2023
- PMDC list of stand-alone hospitals approved for house jobs
- CPSP examination schedule
Next: How to get a house job in Pakistan · Private vs government house job · House job survival guide