Medical education

Medical education is education connected to the practice of being a medical practitioner either the initial training to become a physician or further training thereafter. Medical education and training varies considerably across the world however typically involves entry level education at a university medical school followed by a period of supervised practice Internship andor Residency and possibly postgraduate vocational training. Continuing medical education is a requirement of many regulatory authorities.Various teaching methodologies have been utilised in medical education which is an active area of educational research.Presently in England a typical medicine course at university is years after secondary education if the student already holds a degree. Amongst some institutions and for some students it may be years including the selection of an intercalated BSc taking one year at some point after the preclinical studies. This is followed by Foundation years afterwards namely F and F Students register with the UK General Medical Council at the end of F At the end of F 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 a M.D. N.D. or D.O. program. Some students opt for the researchfocused MDPhD dual degree which is usually completed in years. There are certain courses which are prerequisite for being accepted to medical school such as general chemistry organic chemistry physics mathematics biology English 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 MedicineBachelor 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 entry Bachelor of MedicineBachelor of Surgery MBBS program.

Legal restrictions

In most countries it is a legal requirement for a medical doctor to be licensed or registered. In general this entails a medical degree from a university and accreditation by a medical board or an equivalent national organization which may ask the applicant to pass exams. This restricts the considerable legal authority of the medical profession to physicians that are trained and qualified by national standards. It is also intended as an assurance to patients and as a safeguard against charlatans that practice inadequate medicine for personal gain. While the laws generally require medical doctors to be trained in evidence based Western or Hippocratic Medicine they are not intended to discourage different paradigms of health.