Medical staff and students will be in line for training opportunities after the Bermuda Hospitals Board agreed to link up with Johns Hopkins Medicine International.

The BHB announced the Maryland-based medical institute was chosen for a clinical affiliate agreement to “help improve services and support education”.

It said Johns Hopkins was picked as the preferred bidder after six American healthcare organisations responded to a request for a proposal.

BHB will now start more detailed negotiations to agree on a work plan and finalise financial terms.

A spokeswoman said the agreement would not affect which hospitals BHB patients are referred to, but was designed to get support in “key areas of quality and education”.

Areas of collaboration include:

• Educational opportunities, including BHB placements for undergraduate medical students and nurses and support of BHB’s Clinical Medical Education programme;

• Access to established and validated policies and guidelines to allow for greater standardisation of clinical pathways within BHB;

• Access to benchmarking data and shared best practice;

• Assistance with clinical programmes and peer review;

• Visiting subject matter experts.

Venetta Symonds, chief executive of BHB, said: “This agreement will support our staff with education and training and provide BHB with access to the experience and knowledge of a large academic hospital.

“Johns Hopkins Medicine International gave an excellent proposal and we look forward to sharing further details when the agreement is signed, which we expect to be in early fall.”

Pamela Paulk, president of Johns Hopkins Medicine International, said: “We are very pleased to be the preferred bidder for this effort and look forward to supporting the Bermuda Hospitals Board in achieving their vision for Bermuda.

“Johns Hopkins Medicine has a longstanding relationship with Bermuda and its citizens that spans more than two decades.

“This agreement affords us a unique opportunity to expand our efforts on island as well as furthering our mission to improve the health of the community and the world.”