A
medical school is a
tertiary educational institution—or part
of such an institution—that teaches
medicine.
In addition to a medical degree program, some medical schools offer
programs leading to a
Master's
Degree,
Doctor of
Philosophy (PhD), or other post-secondary education. Medical
schools can also employ medical researchers and operate hospitals.
Medical schools teach subjects such as
human anatomy,
biochemistry,
pharmacology,
immunology,
neurology,
obstetrics and gynecology,
anesthesiology,
internal medicine,
family medicine,
surgery,
psychiatry,
genetics, and
pathology.
The entry criteria, structure, teaching methodology and nature of
medical programs offered at medical schools vary considerably
around the world. Medical schools are often highly competitive,
using standardized entrance
examinations to narrow the selection criteria
for candidates (e.g.
GAMSAT,
MCAT,
UMAT,
NMAT,
BMAT,
UKCAT and many others).
In many European countries, in India, China and others, the study
of medicine is completed as an undergraduate degree not requiring
prerequisite undergraduate coursework. However, an increasing
number of places are emerging for graduate entrants (i.e. in the
UK, Ireland and Australia) moving medical education closer to the
US/Canadian model. In other countries (e.g. the USA, Canada),
medical degrees are
second entry
degrees, and require at least several years of previous study
at the university level. Students wanting to enter medical school
often complete a bachelors degree with a (
pre-medical/medical science) curriculum
including
physics,
chemistry,
genetics,
biochemistry,
pathology,
anatomy and physiology, and
human biology. However, many medical schools
will accept students of varying academic background so long as they
complete the required prerequisite coursework and have a university
degree, and some students obtain Master and PhD credentials before
entering medical school.
Although medical schools confer upon graduates a medical degree
, a doctor typically may not
legally practice medicine until licensed by the local government
authority. Licensing may also require passing a test, undergoing a
criminal background check, checking references, and paying a fee.
Medical schools are regulated by each country and may appear on the
WHO Directory of
Medical Schools or the
FAIMER International Medical
Education Directory.
Africa
Egypt
In Egypt, medical school is a faculty of a university. Medical
education lasts for 6 years, at the end of which the student is
granted a
MB BCh (بكالريوس الطب و الجراحة).
After graduating there is a mandatory 12 month full time internship
at one of the University or Government Teaching hospitals after
which medical licensure as a General Practitioner (GP) is obtained.
After that, the doctor has to register with the Ministry of Health
& Population, and the Egyptian Medical Syndicate (نقابة
الأطباء). The first 3 years of medical school cover the basic
medical sciences, while the last 3 years are focused on clinical
sciences.
Admission depends on the score of the applicant in his last 2 years
of Egyptian Secondary Schoolالثانوية) العامة). Students who have
taken either the
IGCSE or
SAT can also apply, however there is a very strict quota
to the number of student who get accepted by the admission office
which regulates entry into public universities. This quota does not
apply to private universities. There are no entrance exams required
for entry.
Ghana
There are four medical schools in Ghana: The University of Ghana
Medical School, the KNUST School of Medicine, University for
Development Studies School of Medicine, and the University of Cape
Coast School of Medicine.
Kenya
In Kenya, there are two established medical schools:
- 1. University of Nairobi (oldest, established 1967)
- 2. Moi University in Eldoret (established in 1980s with major
support from the Indiana University School of Medicine - USA, and
with whom there remain significant ties)
Admissions are considered after completion of a high school
education. The first two years are basic science years and the
three remaining years clinical. On completion, a bachelors degree
in Medicine and Surgery is awarded,
MBChB.
This is followed by a one year period of internship.
Both Nairobi and Moi Universities run post graduate medical
training programs that run over 3 years and lead to the award of
master of medicine,
MMed, in the respective
specialty.
There has
been progress made by the Aga Khan University
in Karachi
, Pakistan
and the
Aga Khan University
Hospital (AKUH) in Nairobi
towards the
establishment of a Health Sciences University in Kenya with an
associated medical school. AKUH in Nairobi, already offers
post graduate,
MMed programmes. These are run
over 4 years.
Completion of formal specialty training in Kenya is followed by two
years of supervised clinical work before one can apply for
recognition as a specialist, in their respective field, by the
medical board.
Nigeria
There are several medical schools in this populous nation. However,
there are three tiers under which the schools are categorized,
based on the quality of faculty, facilities, and performance. In
the top tier, there are eleven medical schools:University of Benin,
University of Nigeria, University of Lagos, University of Ibadan,
Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Maiduguri, University of
Port-Harcourt, University of Ilorin, University of Calabar,
University of Jos and Ahmadu Bello University. Entrance into these
schools is highly competitive. Candidates graduating from high
school must attain high grades from the West African Examination
Council's (WAEC) Senior School Certificate Exam (SSCE/GCE) and high
scores in four subjects (Physics, English, Chemistry, and Biology)
in the University Matriculation Examination (UME). Students undergo
rigorous training for 6 grueling years and culminate with a
Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS). The
undergraduate program is five years and one year of work experience
in government hospitals. After medical school, graduates are
mandated to spend one year of housemanship (internship) and one
year of community service before they are eligible for
residency.
South Africa
There are eight medical schools in
South
Africa, each under the auspices of a
public university. As the country is a
former
British colony, most of the
institutions follow the British-based undergraduate method of
instruction, admitting students directly from high school into a 6
or occasionally five year program.
Some universities such as the University of
the Witwatersrand
in Johannesburg
and the University of Cape Town
have started offering post-graduate medical degrees
which run concurrently with their undergraduate programs. In
this instance, a student who has completed an appropriate
undergraduate degree with basic sciences, can enter into a
four-year post graduate program.
Most South African medical schools award the MBChB degree (except
the University of the Witwatersrand which styles its degree MBBCh).
Following successful completion of study, all South African medical
graduates need to complete a two-year internship as well as a
further year of community service in order to register with the
Health Professions Council, in order to practice as a doctor in
South Africa.
Specialisation is usually a five- to seven-year training process
(depending on the specialty) requiring registering as a medical
registrar attached to an academic clinical department in a large
teaching hospital with appropriate examinations. The specialist
degree may be conferred as a Fellowship by the independent
Colleges of Medicine of
South Africa, following British tradition, or as a
Magisterial degree by the University (usually
the degree M Med (
Master of
Medicine)).
Medical students from all over the world come to South Africa to
gain practical experience in the country's many teaching hospitals
and rural clinics. All of South Africa's eight medical schools are
of world class standard and have excellent facilities. The language
of instruction is English but a few indigenous languages are
studied briefly.
Tunisia
In Tunisia, education is free for all Tunisian citizens and for
foreigners who have scholarships. Medical school is a faculty of
the University of Tunis. There are five medicine faculties situated
in the major cities. Admission is bound to the success and score in
the baccalaureate examination. Admission score threshold is pretty
high based on competition amongst all applicants throughout the
nation. Medical school curriculum consists of five years. The first
two years are medical theory, containing all basic sciences related
to medicine, while the last three years consists of clinical issues
related to all medical specialties. During these last three years,
the student gets the status of "Externe". The student has to attend
at the university hospital every day, rotating around all wards.
Every period is followed by a clinical exam regarding his knowledge
in that particular specialty. After those five years, there are two
years on internship, in which the student is basically a physician
but under the supervision of the chief doctor; the student rotates
over the major and most essential specialties during period of four
months each. After that student has the choice of either passing
the residency national exam or extending his internship for another
year, after which he gains the status of family physician. The
residency program consists of four to five years in the specialty
he qualifies, depending on his score in the national residency
examination under the rule of highest score chooses first. Whether
the student chooses to be a family doctor or a specialist, he has
to make a doctorate thesis, which he will be defending in front of
a jury, after which he gains his degree of Doctor of
Medicine.
Uganda
There are four recognized medical schools in
Uganda. Three of them belong to government-owned
universities, while the fourth belongs to a private
university:
Admission to medical school in Uganda requires the candidate to
have attained the pre-requisite minimum score on the A-level
national examinations leading to the award of the
Uganda Advanced
Certificate of Education or UACE, administered by the
Uganda National Examination
Board. Proficiency in
Biology or
Zoology,
Chemistry
and
Physics at A-level standards are
requirements for entry into Ugandan medical schools.
Training leading to the award of the degree of
Bachelor of
Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (
MBChB)
lasts five (5) years, if there are no re-takes.
- The first year is spent on the Basic
Sciences i.e. Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry.
- The second year is devoted to Histology, Pathology,
Microbiology, Pharmacology, Psychology and Introductory Psychiatry.
- The third year is spent rotating through the four major
clinical disciplines of Internal
Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynecology.
- The fourth year is devoted to Public
Health (including community health projects) and the surgical
specialties of Otolaryngology,
Orthopedics, Urology, Neurosurgery
and Ophthalmology. Clinical Psychiatry, Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine are also covered.
- The fifth year is spent rotating through the four major
clinical disciplines, similar to the third year.
There is a major examination after the first year. If the candidate
does not pass, the candidate will repeat first year. Another major
examination is given after second year. A failing candidate will
have to repeat second year. After each clinical rotation, the
candidate is examined and failing candidates are required to repeat
that rotation during the next vacation period.
The last major examination is the final 5th Year
MBChB examination. This is divided into three parts:
- A written Examination in each of the following disciplines:
Internal Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics and
Obstetrics and
Gynecology
- A bedside clinical examination with living patients, involving
a "long case" and a series of "short cases" in each of the four
specialties.
- An oral examination (also called a "viva"), before two clinical
examiners, in each of the four subjects.
The final year clinical examinations in each of the four clinical
disciplines are attended by an "External Examiner", often a
professor of International or Regional repute, from a foreign
medical school. The examiners arrange it so that the excelling
students and those who are on the verge of failing are seen by the
External Examiner in at least one of the clinical face-to-face
encounters. So if you are a candidate and you go before the
"External Examiner", it usually means that you are either excelling
in your field or you are on the verge of failing that
subject.
After successfully passing the final 5th year examinations, one is
awarded the degree of
Bachelor of
Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (
MBChB).
A year of internship in a hospital designated for that purpose,
under the supervision of a specialist in that discipline is
required before an unrestricted license to practice medicine and
surgery is granted by the
Uganda Medical
and Dental Practitioners Council.
Six months of the internship must be spent in a medical discipline
(either Internal Medicine or Pediatrics) and another six months in
a surgical discipline (either Surgery or Obstetrics and
Gynecology). The following hospitals are designated "Internship
Hospitals" in Uganda, provided there is a specialist in the
required field willing to supervise the intern at the particular
hospital:
Specialization training, lasting three years,
(provided there are no re-takes), leading to the award of the
degree of Master of Medicine
(MMed) in the particular discipline is
available at Makerere University School of
Medicine
in the following disciplines: (both medical and
surgical disciplines award the MMed)
The School of Public Health at Makerere University also offers the
degree of
Master of Public
Health (
MPH) following a twenty two (22)
month period of study which includes field work.
The degree of
Doctor of
Philosophy (
PhD) is awarded following a
period of instruction, research and examination (typically three to
five years), in select clinical disciplines. A recognized masters
degree is required prior to admission into the PhD program.
Americas
Brazil
According
to the Brazilian Medical
Association, there are 121 public or private medical schools in
operation in Brazil
.
Entrance is based on an exam taken after the completion of
high school and is the most competitive entrance
exam in most universities. The total number of applicants across
the country is occasionally more than 100 times the number of
students finally accepted.
A medical student must complete a full-time program consisting of
six years. The first four years are focused on pre-clinical and
clinical subjects and the last two years are dedicated to
internship practices at University Hospital, in which the students
work under supervision of residents and fully-licensed
staff physicians.
Upon successful completion of the six years the degree 'Physician'
is conferred. However, medical graduates are titled as Doctors.
After graduation, physicians can either work as
General Practitioners or undertake a
post-graduate medical training.
Graduate physicians must pass an exam in order to attend a
residency program. Residencies are offered at various different
hospitals throughout Brazil, and at numerous medical specialities.
They last at least two years, according to the chosen speciality.
After this period, another exam must be taken.
Physicians who successfully complete the specialisation may apply
for sub-specialisation programs in the respective specialty.
Bolivia
In
Bolivia
, all medical schools are faculties within a
university and offer a five-year M.D. equivalent. To acquire
a license to exercise medical science from the government, all
students must also complete 1 year and 3 months of internship. This
consists of 3 months each of
surgery,
internal medicine,
gynecology,
pediatrics
and
public health. At least one of the
internships must be done in a
rural area of
the country. After getting the degree and license, a doctor may
take a post-graduate residency in order to acquire a
speciality.
Chile
In
Chile
, exists 13 med schools. The pre-grade
studies are distributed in 7 years, where the last 2 are the
intership, that include at least
surgery,
internal medicine,
gynecology and
pediatrics. After getting the degree of
Licenciate in Medicine (General Medicine) the M.D. can take a
direct speciality or work before in primary atention in order to
gain accces to a residency.
Canada
Toronto Faculty of Medicine
In
Canada
, a medical
school is a faculty or school of a university that offers a three-
or four-year Doctor of Medicine
(M.D. or M.D.C.M.) degree. Generally, medical students begin
their studies after receiving a
bachelor's degree in another field, often
one of the biological sciences. Minimum requirements for admission
vary by region from two to four years of post-secondary study.
The Association of
Faculties of Medicine of Canada publishes a detailed
guide to admission requirements of Canadian faculties
of medicine on a yearly basis.
Admission offers are made by individual medical schools, generally
on the basis of a personal statement, undergraduate record (GPA),
scores on the
Medical
College Admission Test (MCAT),
and interviews.
Volunteer work is often an
important criterion considered by admission committees.
Francophone medical schools in Quebec
and two
Ontario
schools do not require the MCAT.
The first half of the medical curriculum is dedicated mostly to
teaching the basic sciences relevant to medicine. Teaching methods
can include traditional
lectures,
problem-based learning, laboratory
sessions,
simulated patient
sessions, and limited clinical experiences. The remainder of
medical school is spent in
clerkship. Clinical clerks participate in
the day-to-day management of patients. They are supervised and
taught during this clinical experience by residents and
fully-licensed
staff
physicians.
Students enter into the
Canadian Resident Matching
Service, commonly abbreviated as
CaRMS in the
fall of their final year. Students rank their preferences of
hospitals and specialties. A computerized matching system
determines placement for
residency
positions. 'Match Day' usually occurs in March, a few months
before graduation. The length of post-graduate training varies with
choice of specialty.
During the final year of medical school, students complete part 1
of the
Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination
(MCCQE). Upon completion of the final year of medical school,
students are awarded the degree of M.D. Students then begin
training in the residency program designated to them by CaRMS. Part
2 of the MCCQE, an
Objective Structured
Clinical Examination, is taken following completion of twelve
months of residency training. After both parts of the MCCQE are
successfully completed, the resident becomes a
licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada.
However, in order to practice independently, the resident must
complete the residency program and take a board examination
pertinent to his or her intended scope of practice. In the final
year of residency training, residents take an exam administered by
either the
Royal College
of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or the
College of Family Physicians
of Canada, depending on whether they are training for specialty
or family practice.
United States
The
Association
of American Medical Colleges and
American
Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine list 130
accredited MD-granting and 28 accredited DO-granting medical
schools the United States, respectively.
Admission to medical school in the United States is based mainly on
GPA, MCAT score, admissions essay, interview, and volunteering
activities, along with research and leadership roles in an
applicant's history. However, race-conscious preference (
affirmative action) is practiced by many
American medical schools. While obtaining an undergraduate degree
is not an explicit requirement for a few medical schools, virtually
all admitted students have earned at least a
bachelor's degree. A few medical schools
offer pre-admittance to students directly from high-school by
linking a joint 3-year accelerated undergraduate degree and a
standard 4-year medical degree with certain undergraduate
universities, sometimes referred to as a "7-year program", where
the student receives a
bachelor's
degree after their first year in medical school.
As undergraduates, students must complete a series of
prerequisites, consisting of
biology,
physics, and
chemistry (
organic and
inorganic). Many medical schools have
additional requirements including
calculus,
genetics,
statistics,
biochemistry,
English, and/or
humanities classes. In addition to meeting the
pre-medical requirements, medical school
applicants must take and report their scores on the
MCAT, a
standardized
test that measures a student's knowledge of the sciences and
the English language. Some students apply for medical school
following their third year of undergraduate education while others
pursue advanced degrees or other careers prior to applying for
medical school.
In the nineteenth century there over four hundred medical schools
in the United States. By 1910, the number was reduced to one
hundred and forty-eight medical schools and by 1930 the number
totalled only seventy-six. Many early medical schools were
criticized for being diploma mills that turned out quacks. This and
other problems lead to the creation of the
American Medical Association in
1847 for the purpose of self-regulation of the profession. Abraham
Flexner (who in 1910 released the
Flexner
report with the Carnegie Foundation), the
Rockefeller Foundation and the AMA
are credited with laying the groundwork for what is now known as
the modern medical curriculum.
The standard U.S. medical school curriculum is four years long.
Traditionally, the first two years are composed mainly of classroom
basic sciences education, while the last two years primarily
include rotations in clinical settings where students learn patient
care firsthand. Today, clinical education is still spread across
all four years, with the final years being more heavily weighted
towards clinical rotations.Some schools such as the Wayne State
University School of Medicine and the Medical College of South
Carolina offer an integrated radiology curriculum during their MD
Programs as part of the
Advanced
Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity study.Upon successful
completion of medical school, students are granted the title of
Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or
Doctor of Osteopathic
Medicine (D.O.).
Residency
training, which is a supervised training period of three to seven
years (usually incorporating the 1st year internship), is typically
completed for specific areas of specialty. Physicians who
sub-specialize or who desire more supervised experience may
complete a
fellowship, which
is an additional one to four years of supervised training in their
area of expertise.
Unlike many other countries, US medical students finance their
education with personal debt. In 1992, the average debt of a
medical doctor after residency was $25,000. For the class of 2009,
the average debt of a medical student is $154,067 and 11% of
students had debt in excess of $250,000 (prior to residency). For
the past decade the cost of attendance has increased 5-6% each year
(roughly 1.6 to 2.1 times inflation)..
Licensing of medical doctors in the United States is co-ordinated
at the state level. Most states require that prospective licensees
complete the following requirements:
- Graduation from an accredited medical school granting the
degree of DO or MD
- Satisfactory completion of at least one year of an AOA- or ACGME-approved
residency.
- Passage of the United States
Medical Licensing Examination or the Comprehensive
Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE, COMLEX, or
simply "the boards"). USMLE and COMLEX both consist of four similar
parts:
- Step I is taken at the end of the second year of medical school
and tests students' mastery of the basic sciences as they apply to
medicine.
- Step II CK is taken during the fourth year of medical school
and tests students' mastery of the management of ill patients.
- Step II CS is taken during the fourth year of medical school
and tests students' mastery of clinical skills using a series of
standardized patient encounters.
- Step III is taken after the first year of a residency program
and tests physicians' ability to independently manage the care of
patients.
Asia and Oceania
Australia
The University of Sydney's Faculty of
Medicine
In Australia, students wishing to study medicine have two options:
they can either attempt to gain entry through the
UMAT exam and interview to a five-year or six-year
undergraduate
MBBS or
BMed program; or complete an undergraduate degree and then
attempt to gain entry to a
graduate
entry program which requires a student to sit the
GAMSAT exam and interview to a four-year
graduate entry BMBS or MBBS. The first
four-year graduate entry medical program in Australia was at
Flinders University in South
Australia.
Graduate entry medicine is
now an option which is present at most Australian medical
schools.
Bangladesh
In
Bangladesh
, admission to medical colleges is organized both by
the Govorning body Dhaka University or the autonomus private
trends. These exams are super-competitive and the total
number of applicants across the country is usually around 78 times
the number of students finally accepted. Admission is based solely
on the entrance examination and academic records have minor
consequences on an application. The undergraduate program consists
of 5 years, followed by one-year internship (rotating
housemanship). The degree granted is Bachelor of Medicine and
Bachelor of Surgery (
M.B.B.S.).Further
postgraduate qualifications may be obtained as Diploma or Degree
(MS or MD), MPhill and FCPS.
Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands
University of Loyola at CNMI is a medical school on the island of
Saipan.
Hong Kong
In Hong Kong, prospective medical students enter either one of the
two faculties of medicine available (University of Hong Kong or the
Chinese University of Hong Kong) from high school. The medical
program consists of 5 years, leading to a degree of bachelors of
medicine and surgery (MBBS or MBChB). An entry level exam specific
to medicine is unnecessary, as the schools evaluate students based
on the results obtained from the Hong Kong's Advanced Level
Examination test (HKALE). After a 5 year degree, one year of
internship follows in order to be eligible to practice in Hong
Kong.
India
Tirunelveli Medical College, Tamil
Nadu, India
In
India
, admission to medical colleges is organized both by
the central government CBSE as well as the
state governments through rigorous tests known as entrance examination. Students
who have successfully completed their 10+2 education (higher
secondary school) can appear for the tests the same year.
The
All-India Pre Medical/Dental Test for filling up of 15% of total
MBBS seats in India, conducted
by CBSE (Central Board for Secondary Education)
in the month of April/May intakes about only 2,500 students out of
a total applicants of over 200,000. The Supreme
Court Of India
has mandated the necessity of entrance examination based upon
multiple choice questions and negative marking for wrong answers
with subsequent merit over 50% for selection into MBBS as well as higher medical
education. The entrance exams are highly
competitive and students start preparing for
them from grade 9. Admission is based
"solely" on the
entrance examination and previous academic records hold no
consequences on an application.
The graduate program consists of three professionals consisting of
9 semesters, followed by one-year internship (rotating
housemanship). The degree granted is Bachelor of Medicine and
Bachelor of Surgery (
M.B.B.S.) of five years
and six months.
The graduate degree of MBBS is divided into 3 professionals, with
each professional ending with a professional exam conducted by the
university (a single university may have
up to dozens of medical colleges offering various
graduate/post-graduate/
post-doctoral
degrees). After clearing this the student moves into the next
professional. Each professional exam consists of a theory exam and
a practical exam conducted not only by the same college but also
external examiners. The exams are tough and many students are
unable to clear them, thereby prolonging their degree time. The
first professional is for 1 year and includes preclinical subjects,
anatomy, physiology and biochemistry. The second professional is
for 1 and a half year and has subjects pathology, pharmacology,
microbiology (including immunology) and forensic medicine. Clinical
exposure starts in the second professional. The third professional
is divided into two parts. Part 1 consists of ophthalmology,
otorhinolaryngology, and PSM (preventive and social medicine) and
part 2 consists of general-medicine, general-surgery, pediatrics
and gynaecology and obstetics. This is followed by one-year of
compulsory
internship (rotatory
house-surgeonship). After internship, the degree of MBBS is awarded
by the respective university. Some states have made rural service
compulsory for a certain period of time after MBBS.
Selection
for higher medical education is through entrance examinations as mandated by
the Supreme
Court Of India. Further postgraduate qualifications may be
obtained as
Post-graduate Diploma of two years residency or
Doctoral Degree
(
MS:Master of Surgery, or
MD)
of three years of residency under the aegis of the Medical Council
of India.25% of all MD/MS seats in India are filled up through
"All-India Post-Graduate Medical Entrance Examination conducted by
AIIMS (All-India Institute Of Medical
Sciences) under the supervision of the Directorate General Of
Health Services. Theses/Dissertations are mandatory to be submitted
and cleared by university along with examinations(written and
clinicals) to obtain MD/MS degree. Further sub-speciality
post-doctoral qualification (
DM - Doctor of Medicine, or
MCh -
Magister of Chirurgery) of three years of residency followed by
university examinations may also be obtained.
PG (post-graduate) qualification is equivalent to M.D./M.S.,
consisting of two/three-years residency after
MBBS. A PG diploma may also be obtained through the
National Board of Examinations, which also offers three-years
residency for sub-specialisation. All degrees by
NBE are called
DNB (Diploma of
National Board). DNB's are awarded only after clearance of
theses/dissertations and examinations. DNBs equivalent to DM/MCh
have to clear examinations mandatorily.
At international level, Indian medical education is rated to be
amongst the toughest, most exhaustive and lenghtiest in the world
apart from being up-to-date in all relevant syllabii. Also its
medical education system has multiple checks, filters and barriers
at all levels to weed out unfit candidates. All university
examinations at all levels of
medical
education consist of two examiners from the same university and
two examiners from other universities.
Indonesia
In
Indonesia
, high school graduates who want to enroll to
national medical schools must take entrance test called "SPMB"
arranged by Directorate General of Higher Education, Ministry of
National Education. For private medical school, the entrance
test is conducted independently by each university.
The standard Indonesian medical school curriculum is six years
long. The four years undergraduate program is composed mainly of
classroom education, continued with the last two years in
professional program primarily includes rotations in clinical
settings where students learn patient care firsthand. If they pass
undergraduate program they will have "S.Ked" in their title and if
they finished the professional program and pass the national
examination arranged by IDI (Indonesian Medical Association) they
will become general physician and receive "dr. (doctor)"
title.
Upon graduation, physician who plans to become a specialist in
specific field of medicine must complete a
residency which is a supervised training with
period of three to four years. Physician who sub-specializes or who
desires more supervised experience may complete a
fellowship, which is an additional one to three
years of supervised training in their area of expertise.
Israel
There are
four university medical schools in Israel, including the Technion
in Haifa, Ben Gurion University
in Beer Shiva, Tel Aviv University
and the Hebrew University
in Jerusalem. They all follow the European 6
year model. However, as of 2009, Tel Aviv University has introduced
a four year program similar to the US system for students with a
bachelor's degree in certain biological sciences. The entrance
requirements of the various schools of medicine are very strict.
Israeli students require a high school Baccalaureate average above
100 and psychometric examination grade over 740. The demand for
medical education is strong and growing and there is a lack of
doctors in Israel. The Technion Medical School, Ben Gurion
University, and Tel Aviv University Sackler Faculty of Medicine
offer 4 year MD programs for American students who have American
college degrees and have taken the MCAT interested in completing
rigorous medical education in Israel before returning to the US or
Canada.
Japan
In
Japan
, a medical school is a faculty of a university thus
undergraduate program. Programs are generally 6 years.
Entrance is based on an exam taken at the end of high school and
considered to be the most competitive for university entrance
exam.
Medical students study Liberal Arts and Science for the first 1–2
years, which include Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Foreign
Languages together with 2 years long Basic Medicine (Anatomy,
Physiology, Pharmacology, Immunology), and Clinical Medicine,
Public health and
Forensics for the next two years.
Medical students train in the University Hospital for the last two
years. Clinical training is a part of the curriculum. Upon
completion of the graduation examination, students are awarded an
MD. Medical graduates are titled as Doctor while Ph.D. holders are
not titled as such.
At the
end, Medical students take the National Medical License
examination, and if they pass it, become a Physician and registared
in the record in the Ministry
of Health, Labour and Welfare
. The scope of this exam encompasses every
aspect of medicine.
Jordan
There are
four public universities in Jordan that include a medical school:
Jordan University of Science and
Technology
in Ramtha, University
of Jordan
in Amman
, Hashemite University in Zarqa
and
Mutah University in Al Karak
.
Myanmar
Myanmar medical schools are government-funded and require Myanmar
citizenship for eligibility. No private medical school exists at
this moment.
In Myanmar
, admission to medical colleges is organized under
the Department of Health Science which is the branch of Ministry of
Health of Myanmar. A student can join one of the four
medical universities of Myanmar if he gets the highest scores in
the science combination of the matriculation examination. This exam
is highly competitive. Entrance is solely based on this examination
and academic records have very minor consequences on an
application. The undergraduate program is five years plus one year
for work experience in government hospitals. After medical school,
Myanmar medical graduates are under contract to spend one year of
internship and three years of tenure in rural areas before they are
eligible for most residency positions. The degree granted is
Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (
M.B.B.S.). Further
postgraduate qualifications may be obtained as a Degree (M.Med.
Sc).
Nepal
In
Nepal
, medical studies start at undergraduate
level. The program is of five and half years duration. There
are three main medical bodies in Nepal:
- Tribhuwan University (own
college: Institute of
Medicine Maharajgunj, affiliated colleges: National Medical College, Janaki Medical College, Universal College of
Medical Sciences)
- Kathmandu University (Own
college:Kathmandu
University School of Medical Sciences (KUSMS), Affiliated
colleges: Manipal
College of Medical Sciences, Kathmandu Medical College,
Nepal Medical College,
Nepalgunj Medical College,
College of Medical
Sciences, Nobel Medical College, Lumbini Medical College
The first two years of studies are called "Basic Sciences" followed
by two and half years of "clinical sciences" and one year of
internship. After the successful completion of this course, a
student is awarded Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery
(
M.B.B.S.) degree.
New Zealand
Auckland School of Medicine
Dunedin School of Medicine
New Zealand medical programs are undergraduate-entry programs of
six years duration. Students are considered for acceptance only
after a year of undergraduate basic sciences or, in a small number
cases, following the completion of a bachelor's degree.
There are
two main medical schools in New Zealand: the University
of Auckland and the University of Otago
. Each of these has subsidiary medical
schools such as Otago's
Wellington
School of Medicine and Health Sciences and Auckland's
Waikato Clinical School.
The first year of the medical degree is the basic sciences year
which comprises study in chemistry, biology, physics, biochemistry
as well as population health and behavioural sciences. The
following two years are spent studying human organ systems and
pathological processes in more detail as well as professional and
communication development. Towards the end of the third year
students begin direct contact with patients in hospital
settings.
The clinical years begin fully at the beginning of year 4 where
students rotate through various areas of general clinical medicine
with rotation times varying from between two and six weeks. Year 5
continues this pattern focusing more on specialized areas of
medicine and surgery. Final medical school exams (exit exams) are
actually held at the end of year 5 which is different from most
other countries where final exams are held near the very end of the
medical degree. Final exams must be passed before the student is
allowed to enter year 6.
The final year (Year 6) of medical school is known as the "Trainee
Intern" year where a student is known as a "Trainee Intern"
(commonly referred to in the hospitals as a "T.I."). Trainee
interns repeat most rotations undertaken in years 4 and 5 but at a
higher level of involvement and responsibility for patient care.
Trainee interns receive a stipend grant from the New Zealand
government (not applicable for international students). Currently
this is $NZ 26,756/year (about $US 18,500). Trainee interns have
responsibility under supervision for the care of about one third
the patient workload of a junior doctor, however, all prescriptions
and most other orders (e.g. radiology requests and charting of IV
fluids) made by trainee interns must be countersigned by a
registered doctor.
New Zealand medical schools currently award the degrees of
Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of
Surgery (MBChB).
Pakistan
In
Pakistan a medical school is more often referred to as a
medical college. A medical college is affiliated with a
university as a department. There are however several medical
universities and medical institutes with their own medical
colleges. All medical colleges and universities are regulated by
the respective provincial department of health.
They however have to
be recognized after meeting a strict criteria by a central
regulatory authority called Pakistan Medical and Dental
Council (PMDC) in Islamabad
. There are almost equal number of government
and private medical colleges and universities, with their number
exceeding 50. Entrance in to the medical colleges is purely on
merit under the strict guidelines of PMDC. Both the academic
performance at the college (high school, grades 11-12) level and an
entrance test like MCAT are taken into consideration for the
eligibility to enter a medical college. After successfully
completing five years of academic and clinical training in the
medical college and affiliated teaching hospital the graduates are
awarded a
Bachelor of
Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (
MBBS)
degree. The graduates are then eligible to apply for a medical
license from the PMDC. A house job of one year duration is
mandatory in a teaching hospital after completing five years of
academic and clinical training in the medical college.
People's Republic of China
Medical education is normally a five-year
Bachelor degree, including one year
internship (or clinical rotation, during which students are
actively involved in patient care) before the final degree is
awarded. Clinical specialization usually involves a two or
three-year
Master degree. Acceptance
is based on the national entrance examination used for all
universities. There are a few colleges that teach in English and
accept foreign medical students. Some of those universities have
increased their course duration to 5.5 years.
Philippines
The Dominicans, under the Spanish Government, established the
oldest Medical School in the Philippines in 1871, known as the
Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the Pontifical and Royal
University of Santo Tomas in Intramuros, Manila.
Medical education in
the Philippines became widespread under the American
administration. The Americans, led by the
insular government's Secretary of the Interior,
Dean Worcester, built the
University of the
Philippines's College of Medicine and Surgery in 1905. By 1909,
nursing instruction was also begun at the Philippine Normal School.
At
present there are a number of medical schools in the Philippines,
notable examples include the University of the
Philippines, Manila, the De La Salle Health Sciences Institute,
the University
of Santo Tomas
, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng
Maynila, University
of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center, Cebu Doctors' University, Cebu Institute of Medicine,
West Visayas State
University in Iloilo City and
Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan, Dr. Jose P.
Rizal School of Medicine in Cagayan De Oro.
Any college graduate may apply for medical school as long as he or
she as accumulated a set number of units in biology, chemistry,
physics, and math. There is also a test known as the National
Medical Admissions Test or NMAT. Scores are given on a percentile
basis and a high ranking is a must to enter the top medical schools
in the country.
In most institutions, medical education lasts for four years. Basic
subjects are taken up in the first and second years, while clinical
sciences are studied in the second and third years. In their fourth
year, students rotate in the various hospital departments, spending
up to two months each in the fields of internal medicine, surgery,
obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics, and several weeks in the
other specialties. After this, students graduate with a Doctorate
in Medicine and apply for post-graduate internship in an accredited
hospital of their choice. After PGI, the student is eligible to
take the Medical Licensure Examination. Passing the examinations
confers the right to practice medicine as well as to apply in a
Residency Training Program.
Republic of China (Taiwan)
The
medical education in the Republic of China 
is usually 7 years in duration, starting right
after high school. The reason for such a long period of
study is because Taiwanese medical schools include undergraduate
education.
Currently, only Kaohsiung
Medical University
offers a 4-year medical program, similar to the US
medical school system, for university degree holders.The
first 2 years in the 7-year system is composed of basic sciences
and liberal art courses. Especially, all the medical schools there
compete with each other on how enthusiastic their graduates become.
Massive doctor-patient classes are emphasized, and most schools
require compulsory amounts of volunteer hours.Clinical sciences are
compressed into a two year program in the 3rd and 4th years. Many
medical students in Taiwan call this 2-year hell.The duration of
clerkships and internships varies from school to school, but all of
them end at the 7th grade.
Saudi Arabia
In Saudi Arabia medical education is free for all Saudi citizens. A
medical student must pass an entrance examination and complete a
1-year pre-medical course containing some basic medical subjects
including: Biology, Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry,
Physics, Medical Biostatistics, and English for medical uses.
Passing this year is commonly considered as the most challenging.
Saudi Arabia has approximately 8 medical schools but King Saud
University in Riyadh is the oldest one and the most experienced. It
offers an MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) degree.
after one pre-medical course, five medical years and one training
year.
South Korea
Medical program used to be a direct entry program like the UK
system and used to take 6 years to complete. However, the
universities are currently going through a transition from the
direct-entry medicine into 4+4 years system found in the US. There
are 41 medical schools in South Korea. All 10
Flagship Korean National
Universities have the medical schools.
Some argue that
oriental
medical colleges and school in Korea should be considered as
typical medical school, however, the fact is that the license and
curriculums of the oriental medical schools and oriental medical
doctors are quite different with those of typical doctors,
physicians, and
surgeons in
Korea and the world, and generally they are
not
accepted to be typical physicians and surgeons. The students from
oriental medical schools in Korea are only able to participate in
'Korean national
oriental medical doctor license
examination', instead of 'Korean national medical doctor license
examination(KMLE)'. The oriental doctors are only able to perform
acupuncture and
herb
medicine which are based on
oriental philosophies, not evidence
based science. The oriental medical doctors in Korea do not
authorize to prescribe ordinary medicines such as antibiotics,
operate on patients, and diagnose disease with modern medical
technologies including
ultrasound,
CT,
MRI,
PET and so on.
Sri Lanka
There are eight medical schools in Sri Lanka that teach evidence
based (sometimes called "western") medicine. The oldest medical
school is the
Faculty of Medicine,
University of Colombo (Started as Ceylon Medical School in
1870) and is 137 years old. There are medical faculties in Jaffna,
Sri Jayawardanepura, Galle, Peradeniya, Kelaniya, Batticaloa and
Rajarata as well. Kelaniya Medical Faculty initially started as the
North Colombo Medical College (NCMC), a private medical
institution. It was one of the earliest private higher educational
institutions (1980). Heavy resistance by the Maxist JVP political
movement to private sector growth led to its nationalization and to
its renaming as the Kelaniya Medical Faculty. The output of all
medical schools is around 1200 and they receive the degree MBBS
(Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery. However, since the
intake into these faculties are very limited, a large number of
students graduate from foreign countries. As the country is a
former colony of Britain, lot prefer England, Australia, New
Zealand. Former Socialist countries are also attractive due to
their low tuition fees as well as Bangladesh and Pakistan. The
training period is around five years plus a residency period of one
year for full registration. [Post Graduate institute of Medicine]
(PGIM)is the only postgraduate degree awarding institution. Course
period may vary according to the discipline. It is mandatory for
graduates to undergo a training period of one to two years in a
center of excellence outside Sri Lanka. The Institute of Ayurvedhic
Medicine of the University of Colombo, the Gampaha Wickramarachchi
Ayurvedhic Medicine Institute of the University of Kelaniya and the
Faculty of Siddha Medicine, University of Jaffna teach Ayurvedha/
Unani / Siddha Medicine. Medicina Alternativa or the Open
University of Complementary Medicine teaches acupuncture and
homeopathy.
Thailand
Most of the Thai medical schools are government-funded and require
Thai citizenship for eligibility. Only one private medical school
exists at the moment. Some Thais choose to attend the private
medical school or attend a medical school in a foreign country due
to relatively few openings and high college entrance examination
scores required for enrollment in public medical schools.
The Thai medical education is six years consisting of 3
pre-clinical and 3 clinical years. Upon graduation all medical
students must pass the national examination and a university-based
comprehensive test. After medical school, Thai medical graduates
are under contract to spend one year of internship and two years of
tenure in rural areas before they are eligible for most residency
positions.
The students will receive
Doctor of
Medicine (MD) degree.
Europe
Bosnia and Herzegovina
There are five Medical Schools (Medicinski Fakultet) in Bosnia and
Herzegovina:
These medical schools are usually affiliated with regional
hospitals.
The course of study lasts 6 years or 12 semesters. Students are
conferred degree Doctor of Medicine (MD) upon graduation.
Admissions
Entry to BH Medical Schools are very competitive due to limited
places imposed by the government quota.Students are required to
complete
Secondary
School Leaving Diploma (
Gimnazija-
Gymnasium or Medicinska skola
matura/
svedocanstvo/
svjedodzba).
Entrance examination is usually held in June/July. Combined score
of Secondary School Diploma assessment (on scale 1-5, with 2
minimum passing grade and 5 maximum grade) and entrance examination
is taken into consideration. Usually, 5 in Chemistry, Biology,
Mathematics, and Physics are required for entry to medicine.
Curriculum
Course structure is more traditional and divided in pre-clinical
(year 1-3) /clinical part (year 3-6) and subject-based.
Practical examinations are held throughout the degree (Anatomy,
Biochemistry,Pathology, Physiology practicals etc.). Dissection is
part of all medical curricula in Bosnian and Herz. Medical
Schools.
Course content in BH Medical Schools:
- Biophysics
- Biology and Human Genetics
- Medical Chemistry
- Sociology
- Statistics and Computer Science in Medicine
- Ethics in Medicine
- Social Medicine
- English Language
- Anatomy
- Biochemistry
- Histology and Embryology
- Physiology
- Microbiology and Immunology
- Pathological Anatomy
- Pathological Physiology
- Basic of Oncology
- Nuclear Medicine
- Clinical Propaedeutic
- Epidemiology
- Radiology
- Neurology
- Psychiatry
- Pharmacology and Toxicology
- Infectious Diseases
- Dermatovenereology
- Internal Medicine
- Gynaecology
- Surgery
- Medical Ecology
- Pediatrics
- Forensic Medicine
- Otorhinolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery
- Ophthalmology
- Physical Medicine and General Rehabilitation
- Primary Health Care and Occupational Medicine
Belgium
In
Belgium
, medical education consists of a 7 year
program. In the first 3 years, which are very theoretical
and lead to a university
bachelor
degree, general scientific courses are taken like chemistry,
biophysics, physiology, biostatistics, anatomy, virology, etc. To
enter the bachelor course people have to pass an exam in
Flanders (Dutch part of Belgium) (Toelatingsexamen
arts - tandarts) due to the
numerus
clausus. In the French part, only the best students that pass
the first year of the bachelor course in medicine are admitted to
the second and third year.
After the bachelor courses, students are allowed to enter the
'master in medicine' courses, which consist of 4 years of
theoretical and clinical study. Generally, the first 2 master years
are very theoretical and teach the students in human pathology,
diseases, pharmacology,... The 3rd year is a year full of
internships in a wide range of specialities in different clinics.
The 4th year is devoted to the subject that the student chooses for
his career.
Bulgaria
In
Bulgaria
, a medical school is a type of college or a faculty
of a university. The medium of instruction is officially in
Bulgarian. A six to one year course in Bulgarian language is
required prior to admittance to the medical program. For European
candidates an exam in Biology and Chemistry in Bulgarian, is also
required.
Students join medical school after completing high-school.
Admission offers are made by individual medical schools. Bulgarian
applicants have to pass entrance examinations in the subjects of
Biology and Chemistry. The competitive result of every candidate is
the based on their marks these exams plus their secondary-school
certificate marks in the same subjects. Those applicants with the
highest results achieved are classified for admission.
The course of study is offered as a six year program. The first 2
years are pre-clinical, the next 3 years are clinical training and
the 6th year is the internship year during which students work
under supervision at the hospitals. During the 6th year students
have to appear for 'state exams' in the 5 major subjects of
Internal Medicine, Surgery, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Social
Medicine and Pediatrics. Upon successful completion of the six
years of study and the state exams the degree of 'Physician' is
conferred.
For specialization, graduates have to appear for written tests and
interviews to obtain a place in a specialization program. For
specialization in general medicine, general practice lasts three
years, cardiology lasts four years, internal medicine lasts five
years, and general surgery lasts five years.
Croatia
In
Croatia
there are four out of seven universities which
offer a medical degree, the University of Zagreb
(offers also medical studies in English), University of Rijeka, University
of Split
and the University
of Osijek. A Medical school is a faculty of those four
universities. Medical students enroll to Faculties of medicine
after finishing secondary education, typically after the
Gymnasium, but also after the four-year
nursing school or other secondary schools with a duration of 4
years. During the application process, the grades of the last four
years of secondary school, the scores at the final secondary school
examination (
Matura) and the score at the
obligatory entrance examination are taken into account, and the
best students are enrolled.
The course of study lasts 6 years or 12 semesters. During the first
3 years students are engaged in pre-clinical courses (Anatomy,
histology, chemistry, physics, cell biology, genetics, physiology,
biochemistry, immunology, pathological physiology and anatomy,
pharmacology, microbiology, etc.). The contact with patients
begins, however, already at the 3rd year. The remaining 3 years are
composed of rotations at different departments, such as internal
medicine, neurology, radiology, dermatology, psychiatry, surgery,
pediatrics, Gynecology and Obstetrics, Anesthesiology and others.
During every academic years students also enroll in two or three
elective courses. After each rotation the students take exams, a
total of circa 60 exams. At the end the students must pass a final
examination, which is a multiple-choice exam comprising questions
about clinical courses, and finally they gain the title Doctor of
medicine (dr. med.) which is written after one's name. Now doctors
must complete a one-year, supervised, paid internship in a hospital
of their choice, after which they take the state (license)
examination, which is an eight-part oral examination containing
eight most important clinical branches. Now doctors are eligible to
practice medicine as general practitioners. Residencies are offered
at various different hospitals throughout Croatia, and at numerous
medical specialities.
Finland
In
Finland
, basic medical education is given in five
universities: Helsinki
, Kuopio
, Oulu
, Tampere
and Turku
. Admission is regulated by an entrance
examination. Studies involve an initial two-year preclinical period
of mainly theoretical courses in anatomy, biochemistry,
pharmacology etc. However, students have contact with patients from
the beginning of their studies. The preclinical period is followed
by a four-year clinical period, when students participate in the
work of various hospitals and health care centres, learning
necessary medical skills. Some Finnish universities have integrated
clinical and preclinical subjects along the six-year course,
diverging from the traditional program. A problem-based learning
method is widely used, and inclusion of clinical cases in various
courses and preclinical subjects is becoming common. All medical
schools have research programs for students who wish to undertake
scientific work. The duration of basic medical education is six
years and the course leads to the degree of Licentiate of
Medicine.
France
Medical studies in France are organized as follow:
Right after graduating from High School with a scientific
background (
Baccalaureat S), any
student can register at a university of medicine (there are about
30 of them throughout the country). At the end of first year, an
internal ranking examination takes place in each of these
universities in order to implement the
numerus clausus.First year consists mainly
of theoretical classes such as
biophysics
and
biochemistry,
anatomy,
ethics or
histology. Passing first year is commonly
considered as challenging and requires hard and continuous work.
Each student can only try twice.
For example, the Université
René Descartes
welcomes about 2000 students in first year and only
300 after numerus clausus.
The second and third year are usually mainly quite theoretical
although the teachings are often accompanied by placements in the
field (e.g. internships as nurses or in the emergency room,
depending on the university).
During 4th, 5th and 6th years, medical students get a special
status called 'Externe'. They work as interns every morning at the
hospital plus a few night shifts a month and study in the
afternoon. Each internship lasts between 3 and 4 month and takes
place in a different department. Med students get 5 weeks off a
year.
At the end of 6th year, they need to pass a national ranking exam
which will determine their specialty. Indeed, the first student
gets to choose first, then the second et caetera. Usually students
work pretty hard during 5th and 6th years in order to train
properly for the national ranking exam. During these years, actual
practice at the hospital and some theoretical courses are meant to
balance the training.Such interns' average wage stands between 100
and 300 euros a month (which is far from being enough to make a
living).
After that ranking exams, students can start as residents in the
specialty they have been able to pick. That is the point from which
they also start getting paid (decently).
Germany
In
Germany
, admission to medical schools is currently
administered jointly by the (ZVS), a centralized federal
organization, and the universities themselves. The most
important criterion for admission is the
Numerus clausus, the final
GPA scored by the applicant on the
Abitur (highest secondary school diploma). However,
in light of the recent gain in influence of medical schools in
regards to applicant selection, additional criteria are being used
to select students for admission. These criteria vary among medical
faculties and the final Abitur GPA is always a core indicator and
strongly influences admission.
The first two years of medical school consist of the so-called
pre-clinical classes. During this time, the students are instructed
in the basic sciences (e.g.
physics,
chemistry,
biology,
anatomy,
physiology,
biochemistry, etc.) and must pass a federal
medical exam ( ), administered nationally. Upon completion, the
students advance to the clinical stage, where they receive three
years of training and education in the clinical subjects (e.g.
internal medicine,
surgery,
obstetrics and
gynecology,
pediatrics,
pharmacology,
pathology, etc.). The last year of medical school
consists of the so-called "practical year" (
). Students
are required to spend four month clerkships each in internal
medicine, surgery, and one elective.
After six years of medical school, the students graduate with a
final federal medical exam ( ). Graduates receive the license to
practice medicine and the professional title of
physician ( ). The academic degree
Doctor of Medicine is awarded if the
graduate has additionally successfully completed a scientific
dissertation. Many medical students opt to perform their thesis
during their studies at medical school. If physicians wish to
independently care for patients, they are required to further
complete a
residency in their field of
specialization.
There are 36 medical faculties in Germany.
Hungary
Hungary
has four medical schools, in Budapest
, Debrecen
, Pécs and Szeged
.
Medical school takes six years to complete, of which the last year
is a practical year. Students receive the degree dr. med. univ. or
dr. for short, equivalent to the MD degree upon graduation.
Iceland
In
Iceland
, admission to medical school requires passing an
organized test, controlled by the University of Iceland
, which anyone who has a gymnasium degree can
take. Only the top 48 scores on the exam are granted
admission each year. Medical school in Iceland takes 6 years to
complete. Graduates must also complete 1 year of
residency. Students receive an MD degree
upon graduation.
Ireland
There are
six medical schools in the Ireland
. They are at Trinity
College Dublin
, the Royal College of Surgeons
in Ireland, University College Dublin
, University College Cork
, University of Limerick
and the National
University of Ireland, Galway
(the National University of
Ireland is the degree-awarding institution for all except the
University of Limerick and Trinity College). Training lasts
four, five or six years, with the last two years in the affiliated
teaching hospitals (UCD - St. Vincents University Hospital, Mater
Misericordiae University Hospital) (Trinity - St. James's Hospital,
Adelaide and Meath Hospitals incorporating the National Children's
Hospital) (RCSI - Beaumont Hospital, Conolly Hospital, Waterford
Regional Hospital). For Programmes that are six years in length,
entry is based on secondary school qualifications. Programmes that
are four years in length require previous university degrees.
The Royal
College of Surgeons in Ireland and the University of Limerick were
the first medical institutions to offer Graduate Entry Medicine of four
years in duration in the Ireland. This is now also offered in University
College Dublin and University College Cork. The National University
of Ireland, Galway will launch a graduate entry programme in
2010.
Medical education is regulated by the Irish Medical Council, the
statutory body which is also responsible for maintaining a register
of medical practitioners. After graduation with the degrees of BM
BS (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) or MB BCh BAO
(Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus in Chirurgia, Baccalaureus in
Arte Obstetricia), a doctor is required to spend one year as an
intern
under supervision before full registration is permitted. Graduates
of the
Royal
College of Surgeons in Ireland also receive the traditional
"Licenciate of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons and Physicians in
Ireland" (LRCP&SI), which was awarded before the Royal College
of Surgeons in Ireland became an Affiliate of the
National University of
Ireland and thus was allowed grant degrees, under the Medical
Practitioners Act (1978).
Italy
In
Italy
, the contents of the medical school admission test
is decided each year by the Ministry of
Education, Universities and Research (MIUR) and consists of
eighty questions divided in five categories: logics and "general education ("cultura
generale"), mathematics, physics, chemistry, and
biology. The test is usually taken in
early September, following the conclusion of a 5-year high school
cycle in July.
Each medical school administers the test separately, and the result
of the test is only valid for entry in the medical school where the
test was taken. As a general rule, all state-run medical schools in
the country administer it on the same day, whereas all privately
run medical school administer it on another day, so that a
candidate may take the test once at a state-run school and once at
a private school of his/her choice, but no more.
Medicine is one of the university faculties implementing
numerus clausus ("
numero chiuso"):
the overall number of medical students admitted every year is
constant, as each medical school is assigned a maximum number of
new admission per year by MIUR.
Medical school lasts 6 years (12 semesters). Traditionally, the
first three years are devoted to "biological" subjects (physics,
chemistry, biology, biochemistry, genetics, anatomy, physiology,
immunology, pathophysiology, microbiology, and usually English
language courses), whereas the later three years are devoted to
"clinical" subjects. However, most schools are increasingly
devoting the second semester of the third year to clinical subjects
and earlier patient contact. In most schools, there are about 36
exams over the 6-year cycle, as well as a number of compulsory
rotations and elective activities.
At the end of the cycle, students have to discuss a final thesis
before a board of professors; the subject of this thesis may be a
review of academic literature or an experimental work, and usually
takes more than a year to complete, with most students beginning an
internato (internship) in the subject of their choice in
their fifth or sixth year. The title awarded at the end of the
discussion ceremony is that of "
Dottore in Medicina e
Chirurgia" ("Doctor of Medicine and Surgery"), which in
accordance with the
Bologna process
is comparable with a
master's degree
qualification.
After graduating, new doctors must complete a three-month, unpaid,
supervised
tirocinio post-lauream ("post-degree
placement") consisting of two months in their university hospital
(one month in a medical service and one in a surgical service) as
well as one month shadowing a
general practitioner. After getting a
statement of successful completion of each month from their
supervisors, new doctors take the
esame di stato ("state
exame") to obtain full license to practise medicine. They will then
have to register with one of the branches of the
Ordine dei
Medici ("Order of Physicians") which are based in each of the
Provinces of Italy.
Registration makes new doctors legally able practice medicine
without supervision. They will then have to choose between various
career paths, each usually requiring a specific admission exam:
most either choose to train as general practitioner (a 2-year
course run by each
Region,
including both general practice and rotation at non-university
hospitals), or of entering a
Scuola di Specializzazione
("specialty school") at a university hospital.
Netherlands & Belgium
In the
Netherlands
and Belgium, medical students receive respectively 6 and 7
years of university education prior to their
graduation.
In the Netherlands, students used to receive four years of the
preclinical training, followed by two years of clinical training in
hospitals. However, for a number of medical schools this has
recently changed to three years preclinical training, followed by
three years of clinical training. After 6 years students graduate
as
basisarts (comparable with
Doctor of Medicine), which in accordance
with the
Bologna process is
comparable with a
master's degree
qualification. All medical students are permitted entry from the
highest level of secondary school:
VWO, the
entrant is not required to have a previous
bachelor's degrees qualification.
The Belgian medical education is much more based on theoretical
knowledge, whereas in the Netherlands medical education is focused
more on skill than theoretical knowledge. In Belgium the first
three years of education lead up to a bachelor's degree, followed
by a four-year master's program.
Norway
Medical education in Norway begins with a six to six and a half
year graduate university program.
Admission requires a relatively high GPA
from secondary school, with the medical program at the University
of Oslo
requiring the highest. Upon completion,
students are awarded a candidatus/candidata medicinae (cand. med.)
degree. Following this, the Norwegian Registration Authority for
Health Personnel (Statens autorisasjonskontor for helsepersonell)
requires a minimum of 18 months of internship (turnustjeneste)
before granting a medical license. Once the doctor has got a
license to practice, he or she is able to apply for a post to start
specialist training. There are currently 43 recognized medical
specialties in Norway.
Poland
Romania
In Romania, medical school is a department of a medical university,
which typically includes Dentistry and Pharmacy departments as
well. The name
facultate is used for departments in their
universities too, but the Medicine departments distinguish
themselves by the length of studies (6 years), which grants to
graduates a status equivalent to that of a Master in Science. The
Medicine departments are also marked by reduced flexibility - in
theory, a student in a regular university can take courses from
different departments, like Chemistry and Geography (although it
usually doesn't happen, majors being clearly defined), while the
medical universities do not have any extra offers for their
students, due to their specialization. Admission to medical faculty
is usually awarded by passing a Human Biology, Organic Chemistry
and/or Physics test. The program lasts 6 years, with first 2 years
being preclinical and last 4 years being mostly clinical. After
these six years, one has to take the national licence exam (which
consists of mostly clinically-oriented questions, but some
questions also deal with basic sciences) and has to write a thesis
in any field he/she studied. Final award is
Doctor-Medic (titlu
onorific) (shortened Dr.), which is not an academic degree
(similar to Germany). All graduates have to go through residency
and specialization exams after that in order to practice, although
older graduates had different requirements and training (e.g.,
clinical rotations similar to sub-internship) and might still be
able to practice Family Medicine / General Medicine.
Sweden
Medical education in Sweden begins with a five and a half year
undergraduate university program. Upon completion, students are
awarded a University Medical Degree (Läkarexamen). Following this
the National board of health and welfare (Socialstyrelsen) requires
a minimum of 18 months of clinical internship (Allmäntjänstgöring)
before granting a medical license. This internship consists of
surgery (3–6 months), internal medicine (3–6 months), psychiatry
(three months) and family medicine (six months). Once the doctor
has got a license to practice, the doctor is able to apply for a
post to start his/her specialist training. There are currently 52
recognized medical specialties in Sweden. The specialist training
has a duration of minimum five years, after which the doctor is
granted formal qualification as a specialist.
Turkey
In Turkey medical education is quite like the one in Thailand. All
the high school graduates who wish to pursue further education are
required to take an MCQ exam abbreviated by OSS. The exam covers
most of the high school and secondary school curricula. Currently
there are disputes about the exam's objectivity. A student who
scores high enough gets a place in a faculty of his/her
desire.
Medical education takes six years, first three years being
Pre-clinical years and the latter three being Clinical years. Right
after graduation, graduates can either work as GPs or take another
exam called TUS (Medical Specialization Examination) to do
residency in a particular department of a particular
hospital.
Most of the medical schools in Turkey are state schools but the
number of private schools are getting higher. Language of
instruction is Turkish but few universities also offer schools with
English being language of instruction. This makes Turkey a popular
place to study medicine for students from near areas like The
Balkans, The Middle East and to a lesser extent North Africa.
Ukraine
Medical degrees in Ukraine were offered only in institutions called
medical universities, which are separate from traditional
universities. However, some medical schools are now associated with
classical universities. These include:
United Kingdom
There are currently
32 institutions which offer medical degrees in the United
Kingdom. Completion of a medical degree in the UK results in the
award of the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of
Surgery. Admission requirements to the schools varies; most insist
on solid A-Levels/Highers, a good performance in an aptitude test
such as the
UKCAT, the
BMAT or the
GAMSAT, and usually
an interview. As of 2008 the UK has approximately 8000 places for
medical students.
Methods of education are diverse, with some courses offering
problem-based learning, some
having a more traditional pre-clinical/clinical structure, and
others combining several approaches in an integrated
approach.
Following qualification, UK doctors enter a generalised two-year,
competency-based "
foundation
programme", gaining full GMC (
General Medical Council)
registration at the end of foundation year one, and applying for
specialist training (in medicine, surgery, general practice etc.)
after foundation year two.
Many medical schools offer intercalated degree programmes to allow
students to focus on an area of research outside their medical
degree for a year.
Most medical schools offer graduate entry programmes, which are
typically accelerated (i.e. four years in length). These may
restrict entry to those who hold degrees in, or have previously
worked in, other areas of healthcare, or may require a degree (not
specifically in a science subject). Moreover, medical schools
typically admit many more students into undergraduate programs than
into graduate entry programmmes. For example, each year, the
Newcastle University School of Medicine has 322 positions for
students who enter directly after secondary school and only 25
positions for its “graduate entry programme”.
Medical students
A medical student checking blood
pressure on an awareness drive
A person accepted into a medical school and enrolled in an
educational program in medicine, with the goal of becoming a
medical doctor, is referred to as a
medical student or
student doctor. Medical students are generally considered
to be at the earliest stage of the medical career pathway. In some
locations they are required to be registered with a government
body.
Medical students typically engage in both basic science and
practical clinical coursework during their tenure in medical
school. Course structure and length vary greatly among countries
(see above).
Upon completion of medical school in the United States, students
transition into residency programs through the National Residency
Match Program (NRMP). Each year, approximately 16,000 US medical
school students participate in the residency match. An additional
18,000 independent applicants—former graduates of US medical
schools, US osteopathic students, Canadian students, and graduates
of foreign medical schools—compete for the approximately 25,000
available residency positions.
See also
References
- Kampala International University Medical School is
Accredited
- MPH Degree Requirements at Makerere
- CaRMS - Operations - Future Matches
- Ackerknecht, Erwin. A Short History of Medicine. Baltimore: The
John Hopkins University Press, 1982.
- [1] A Pilot Study of Comprehensive Ultrasound
Education at the Wayne State University School of Medicine
- http://www.aamc.org/members/gsa/meetings/dreconomics.pdf
- Medical
Council of India: Home Page
- http://natboard.nic.in/
- http://www.kma.org/contents/academy/infor02.html Korea Medical
Association(KMA) website
- http://www.kuksiwon.or.kr/ Korea Health Personnel License
Examination Board Website
- UK Medical Schools - www.ukmedicalschools.com
- Institute for Good Medicine at the Pennsylvania Medical Society
http://www.goodmedicine.org/MainMenu/Mentoring/Becomingphysician/StudentFAQ.aspx
External links
, School of Medicine - Mbarara
, School of Medicine - Gulu
, School of Health Sciences - Ishaka
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