How Long Has Your Medical Education/Training Been?
Whether you are considering medical school or have been in the process for some time, it is important to know how long it will take for your education/training to complete. If you are looking at a long time, you might wonder if you will be able to make it.
Increased clinical responsibilities
During the recent past, there has been an increased focus on medical education and training. This has led to improved course offerings, more competitive examinations, and enhanced professional development opportunities. The resulting physicians are expected to be lifelong learners, adaptive and able to think and act on their feet. This is not the only reason for the increasing number of physicians in the workforce.
The AAMC has authored several useful publications to guide curricular planning and provide insight into how to best integrate the arts and humanities into medical education and training. One example is the Foundations of Medicine, a document showcasing the many ways in which the arts and humanities can enrich the lives of physicians and patients.
Covid-19 pandemic
During the early years of medical training, students report limited clinical exposure and rely on active teaching methods. Then, as students advance to clinical training, they experience empathy erosion. The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the clinical training experience and may have lasting impact on trainees.
As students enter residency and practice, they will draw upon their experience with the pandemic. It may broaden trainees’ understanding of population-based medicine, translational research, and utilitarian principles of healthcare ethics. It may also exacerbate empathy erosion.
Medical educators have a significant task: maintaining effective care delivery and ensuring competent graduates. They will need advice on how to modify programs and optimize existing training experiences.
Increased academic attainment
Despite a decade long hiatus, the coronavirus may yet have its moment in the sun. As a result, state and local governments will be forced to reprioritize budgets and reduce the quality of education that goes into the schooling of our children. While this may have positive ramifications for our children’s future, it may not be as beneficial to our own. A shortened school year will have a ripple effect on our economy, which translates to a lost opportunity for our children in the near future. The worst case scenario is the loss of an entire school year, not to mention a loss of a social cohesion and a diminutive fraction of the population’s quality of life.
UKCAT scores
Amongst the many admissions tests for medical education/training, the UKCAT has become one of the most widely used. It provides a simple, objective tool to discriminate between applicants. Despite this, there is little evidence of how effective it is in improving the chances of a candidate gaining a place at a medical school.
In a study of the UKCAT, a multilevel regression model was used to model the outcome of applications to medical schools. Interestingly, the most effective use of the UKCAT was to select applicants for interviews. In this way, the test can improve transparency and reduce the number of UCAS forms to review.
RG’s research on medical education/training
During the last century, medical education in the United States has suffered growing pains. Some schools have responded to the growing need for better medical education by making their lectures and classes available online. Others have embraced online learning years ago and have implemented flipped classrooms and other learning technologies.
While the concept of reducing the duration of medical education is not new, the changes that have been implemented during the past few years represent a revolution in graduate medical education. Many medical schools are now trying accelerated preclinical year tracks and other new curricula.
The American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) and the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME) have played major roles in driving curriculum reform. They have encouraged standardization and remote educational activities.
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