Medical education is education related to the practice of being a medical practitioner, either the initial training to become a
doctorA physician — also known as medical practitioner, doctor of medicine, medical doctor, or simply doctor — practices the ancient profession of medicine, which is concerned with maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease or injury...
(i.e.,
medical schoolA 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 , or other post-secondary education. Medical schools can also...
and internship) or additional training thereafter (e.g.,
residencyResidency is a stage of graduate medical training. A resident physician or resident is a person who has received a medical degree and who practices medicine under the supervision of fully licensed physicians, usually in a hospital or clinic...
and
fellowshipA fellowship is the period of medical training in the United States that a physician may undertake after completing a specialty training program. During this time , the physician is known as a fellow...
).
Medical education and training varies considerably across the world. Various teaching methodologies have been utilised in medical education, which is an active area of educational research.
Entry-level medical education programs are tertiary-level courses undertaken at a
medical schoolA 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 , or other post-secondary education. Medical schools can also...
.
Medical education is education related to the practice of being a medical practitioner, either the initial training to become a
doctorA physician — also known as medical practitioner, doctor of medicine, medical doctor, or simply doctor — practices the ancient profession of medicine, which is concerned with maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease or injury...
(i.e.,
medical schoolA 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 , or other post-secondary education. Medical schools can also...
and internship) or additional training thereafter (e.g.,
residencyResidency is a stage of graduate medical training. A resident physician or resident is a person who has received a medical degree and who practices medicine under the supervision of fully licensed physicians, usually in a hospital or clinic...
and
fellowshipA fellowship is the period of medical training in the United States that a physician may undertake after completing a specialty training program. During this time , the physician is known as a fellow...
).
Medical education and training varies considerably across the world. Various teaching methodologies have been utilised in medical education, which is an active area of educational research.
Entry-level education
Entry-level medical education programs are tertiary-level courses undertaken at a
medical schoolA 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 , or other post-secondary education. Medical schools can also...
. Depending on jurisdiction and university, these may be either undergraduate-entry (most of Europe, India, China), or graduate-entry programs (mainly Australia and Canada), or
second entry degreeA second entry degree is term used for an academic degree that requires at minimum 1-3 years of pre-requisite university courses for admission. It is most commonly used to refer to first professional degree programs in Canada and the United States....
s (United States).
Generally, initial training is taken at
medical schoolA 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 , or other post-secondary education. Medical schools can also...
. Traditionally initial medical education is divided between
preclinical and
clinical studies. The former consists of the basic sciences such as
anatomyAnatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy and plant anatomy...
,
physiologyPhysiology is the science of the functioning of living systems. It is a subcategory of biology...
,
biochemistryBiochemistry is the study of the chemical processes in living organisms. It deals with the structure and function of cellular components such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids and other biomolecules....
,
pharmacologyPharmacology is the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and exogenous chemicals that alter normal biochemical function. If substances have medicinal properties, they are considered pharmaceuticals...
,
pathologyPathology is the study and diagnosis of disease through examination of organs, tissues, bodily fluids, and whole bodies...
. The latter consists of teaching in the various areas of clinical medicine such as
internal medicineInternal medicine is the medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis, management and nonsurgical treatment of unusual or serious diseases. According to some sources, an emphasis on internal structures is implied. In North America, specialists in internal medicine are commonly called, "internists"...
,
pediatricsPediatrics is a branch of medical care that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. The upper age limit ranges from age 12 to 21, depending on the country....
, obstetrics and gynecology,
psychiatryPsychiatry is a medical specialty officially devoted to the treatment and study of mental disorders. The term was first coined by the German physician Johann Christian Reil in 1808....
, and
surgerySurgery is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, to help improve bodily function or appearance, or sometimes for some other reason...
. Increasingly, however, medical programs are using systems-based curricula in which learning is integrated, and several institutions do this.
There has been a proliferation of programmes that combine medical training with research (MD PhD) or management programmes (MD MBA), although this has been criticised.
Post-graduate education
Following completion of entry-level training, newly graduated doctors are often required to undertake a period of supervised practice before full registration is granted; this is most often of one year duration and may be referred to as "internship" or "provisional registration" or "
residencyResidency is a stage of graduate medical training. A resident physician or resident is a person who has received a medical degree and who practices medicine under the supervision of fully licensed physicians, usually in a hospital or clinic...
".
Further training in a particular field of medicine may be undertaken. In some jurisdictions this is commenced immediately following completion of entry-level training, whilst other jurisdictions require junior doctors to undertake generalist (unstreamed) training for a number of years before commencing specialisation.
Increasingly education theory itself is becoming an integral part of postgraduate medical training. Formal qualifications in education are becoming the norm for Medical School educators who are becoming increasingly accountable for their students.
Medical Education Online (Medical e-Learning)
Increasingly, Medical Education around the world is being supported by online teaching, usually within Learning Management Systems (LMSs) or Virtual Learning Environment (VLEs). Research areas into online medical education are wide-ranging, and include:
- The roles of the participants (student, teacher, administrators)
- Content generation, especially in a wide range of media
- The use of LMSs, VLEs and other systems, and open-source vs. proprietary, methods of interaction
- The use online medication education in Problem-Based Learning (PBL)
- Practical applications, virtual patients
- Distance learning
- Assessment
- Electronic Portfolios (e-Portfolios)
- Mobile Learning (M-Learning)
- Problems with technology
- Accessibility
- The Politics and Psychology of e-learning
- Legal and Ethical Issues
- Economics
- Design Issues
- Standards and Specifications
Example of medical education systems
Presently, in England, a typical medicine course at university is 5 years or 4 years if the student already holds a degree. Amongst some institutions and for some students, it may be 6 years (including the selection of an intercalated BSc—taking one year—at some point after the pre-clinical studies). All programs culminate in the
Bachelor of Medicine and SurgeryBachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, or in Latin Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae , are the two first professional degrees awarded upon graduation from medical school in medicine and surgery by universities in various countries that follow the...
degree (abbreviated MB BChir, BM BCh, MB BCh, MB ChB, BM BS, MB BS etc.). This is followed by 2 clinical foundation years afterwards, namely F1 and F2 similar to internship training. Students register with the UK
General Medical CouncilThe General Medical Council registers and regulates doctors in the United Kingdom. It has the power to revoke the registration, or place restrictions on it, if they deem a doctor unfit to practise in the UK. The current president of the council is Professor Peter Rubin.-History:The GMC was...
at the end of F1. At the end of F2, they may pursue further years of study.
In the US and Canada, a potential medical student must first complete an undergraduate degree in any subject before applying to a graduate medical school to pursue an (
M.D.The Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians...
or
D.O."D.O." redirects to this page, which primarily discusses relevant qualifications and titles in the United States. In several other countries, "D.O." means "Diploma in Osteopathy", see also Osteopathy. For other uses of D.O...
) program. Some students opt for the research-focused MD/PhD dual degree, which is usually completed in 7–8 years. There are certain courses which are pre-requisite for being accepted to medical school, such as general
chemistryChemistry is the science concerned with the composition, behavior, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions...
,
organic chemistryOrganic chemistry is a discipline within chemistry which involves the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation of chemical compounds that contain carbon...
,
physicsPhysics is a natural science; it is the study of matter and its motion through spacetime and all that derives from these, such as energy and force...
,
mathematicsMathematics is the science and study of quantity, structure, space, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns, formulate new conjectures, and establish truth by rigorous deduction from appropriately chosen axioms and definitions....
,
biologyBiology is the natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy...
,
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
, labwork, etc. The specific requirements vary by school.
In Australia, there are two pathways to a medical degree. Students can choose to take a five or six year undergraduate medical degree Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS or BMed) straight from high school, or complete a bachelors degree (generally three years, usually in the medical sciences) and then apply for a four year
graduate entryGraduate Medical Program or sometimes also known as Graduate Entry Program or Graduate Entry Medicine are terms generally used outside of the United States to refer to medical programs usually of 4-years duration where applicants are university graduates who have taken aptitude tests such as the...
Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) program.
See:
- Medical education in China
- Medical education in Australia
Medical education in Australia is concerned with both the basic training of medical practitioners and with the post-graduate training of medical specialists.-Medical school:...
- Medical education in Canada
In Canada, a medical school is a faculty or school of a university that offers a 3- or 4-year Doctor of Medicine degree. Although presently most students enter medicine having previously earned another degree, the M.D...
- Medical education in the United Kingdom
Medical education in the United Kingdom includes educational activities involved in the education and training of medical doctors in the United Kingdom, from entry-level training through to continuing education of qualified specialists. A typical outline of the medical education pathway is...
- Medical education in the United States
Medical education in the United States includes educational activities involved in the education and training of medical doctors in the United States, from entry-level training through to continuing education of qualified specialists....
- Medical College (India)
In India, Medical College refers to an educational institution that provides medical education. These institutions may vary from stand-alone colleges that train doctors to conglomerates that offer training related in all aspects of medical care...
- Medical education in Hong Kong
Medical education in Hong Kong is concerned with both the basic training of medical practitioners and further post-graduate training.-Medical school:...
- Medical education in the Philippines
Medical education in the Philippines is principally offered and developed by accredited and government recognized medical schools in the country.The Philippine medical schools are graduate schools offering the Doctor of Medicine degree. The M.D...
- Medical education in South Africa
See also
- Clinical Skills Online
is a project, developed by the Educational Technology Unit at St George's, University of London, UK, aimed at providing online videos demonstrating core Clinical Skills common to a wide range of medical and health-based courses in Higher Education....
- Doctors to Be
Doctors to Be is an occasional series on BBC television that has followed the life of a group of doctors starting from medical school and showing how they are fare in the trials and tribulations of medical training and a career as a doctor. The current update - Doctors to Be : 20 years on - is...
(an occasional series on BBC television)
- List of medical education agencies
Medical education agencies are a specialty subset of advertising agencies that develop educational content for the Healthcare, Life Science and Biotechnology industries...
- List of medical schools
- Objective Structured Clinical Examination
An Objective Summative Clinical Examination is a modern type of examination often used in health sciences to test clinical skill performance and competence in skills such as communication, clinical examination, medical procedures / prescription, exercise prescription, joint mobilisation /...
- Validation of foreign studies and degrees
Validation can be total or partial validation of foreign university and non-university studies and degrees.- Mutual recognition of professional qualifications:...
- Virtual Patients
The term 'virtual patient' is used to describe interactive computer simulations used in health care education. Virtual patients allow the learner to take the role of a health care professional and develop clinical skills such as making diagnoses and therapuetic decisions The use of virtual patient...