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Medical Education - Evolution Of The Medical Curriculum, The Traditional Curriculum, The Curriculum In Transition, The New Medical School Curricula

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Evolution of the medical curriculum

The traditional curriculum

The curriculum in transition

The new medical school curricula

Attrition in medical school

Preparing for medical school

The making of a physician

United States Medical Licensing Examination

Until the early 1900s, medical education in the United States was unstructured and unregulated. A person wishing to become a doctor would usually seek some didactic training at a medical school and/or spend time as an apprentice with one or more physicians. Since a license to practice was not needed, many unqualified individuals were engaged in the healing arts. The caliber of many medical schools was also open to serious question.

In 1910, after an investigation into the state of affairs existing in medical education, Abraham Flexner proposed a program of reorganizing medical education in a way that would ensure that only qualified individuals would enter the profession. With the adoption of the Flexner report, many medical schools of borderline quality became defunct while others significantly improved their standards. Another result was that medical education became a structured four-year program consisting of two years of basic sciences or preclinical training followed by two years of clinical experience. This educational program was essentially the same in all medical schools.

To ensure the maintenance of high standards, today all medical schools must obtain and maintain legal accreditation. The status of their educational programs is periodically evaluated by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) of the Association of American Medical Colleges. This has not restricted medical schools, however, from introducing modifications in their traditional programs. The two-phase traditional program, nonetheless, still strongly influences the medical education process.

Additional Topics

Medical Education - Evolution Of The Medical Curriculum

The curriculum for educating physicians in the United States has evolved through four phases since the first medical school was established in Philadelphia in 1765. The consequences of the curricular changes that have taken place during Phases III and IV are discussed on page 414 under The New Medical School Curricula. As this title implies, curriculum modification and innovation is, as it should …

Medical Education - The Traditional Curriculum

This introductory phase is devoted to the study of normal human biology, which includes anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology. The scope and emphasis within each of these areas are gradually being altered as new experimental approaches result in fresh data. Thus, for example, while the time allotted to gross anatomy is being diminished, the time spent on histology (microscopic anatomy…

Medical Education - The Curriculum In Transition

Since the mid-1960s, there has been increased pressure from medical students to introduce greater flexibility into their courses of study. In response to this criticism, most schools have established committees (sometimes including students) to periodically reevaluate and update their curricula. In many schools, new curricula have been introduced that have modified the traditional pr…

Medical Education - The New Medical School Curricula

A major consequence of the introduction of new medical curricula is the individualization of medical schools. From the time of the Flexner report in 1910 until Case Western Reserve University introduced organ-based learning in 1952, all medical schools were essentially the same in following the traditional two-year basic science courses plus a two-year clinical science curriculum. They differed on…

Medical Education - Attrition In Medical School

If you have been accepted to a U.S. medical school, you are one of a select group of students who have survived the successive academic prunings of elementary school, high school, college, and medical school selection procedures. In addition, you rank in the upper 50% of all students entering graduate and professional schools. Medical schools seek to graduate as many of their entrants as po…

Medical Education - Preparing For Medical School

There are significant differences between attending college, especially a small one, and being enrolled in a medical school. It is thus desirable to first enumerate some of the characteristics of the learning environment in medical school so as to provide a better perspective as to what is involved in making the transition. Medical school is characterized by: The special challenge of medical schoo…

Medical Education - The Making Of A Physician

The premedical and medical school preparation and training intervals usually extend over an eight-year period. During this time, the student is, for the most part, preoccupied with coursework and then clinical training. The concerns are essentially with the mechanics of climbing from one rung to the next on the ladder of professional status. Little time is thus available to reflect upon the nature…

Medical Education - United States Medical Licensing Examination

There is no national medical licensing body in the United States. It is the function of the individual states to determine who shall practice within their borders and to maintain high standards of medical practice in accordance with their own rules and regulations. In recognition of the thoroughness and widely accepted standards of the USML examinations, its certificate is accepted by the medical …

Medical Practice - Physician-patient Relationship, Clinical Skills, Diagnosing Disease, Patient Care, Assessing Treatment, Accountability [next] [back] The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) - Overview Of The Mcat, Importance Of The Mcat, Contents Of The Mcat, Preparing For The Mcat

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