Academic medicine: time for reinvention: Medical education, training, and research are under threat because academic medicine is undervalued

doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7430.45-b

BMJ 2004;328:45-46 (3 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7430.45-b

Letter

Academic medicine: time for reinvention

Medical education, training, and research are under threat because academic medicine is undervalued

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—As surgical trainees teaching anatomy at a leadinguniversity, we welcome the recent editorial highlighting thecurrent crisis faced by academic medicine.¹

This crisis has serious consequences beyond research and itspractical application.² Basic medical sciences must inform evidencebased medicine to optimise clinical management. All doctorsneed a firm and comprehensive basic science education. As experts,academic medical staff are integral in providing this education.

Non-academics should possess skills such as the critical appraisalof papers to lessen the gulf between academics and other doctors.Otherwise a two tier profession is created with a generationof doctors devoid of specialist intellectual interests and lessinclined to think as they practise.

The crisis threatens postgraduate medical education. Traineeswishing to undertake a formal research period or pursue an academiccareer are denied designated posts approved for training. Basicscience jobs such as anatomy demonstrating are not officiallyrecognised . . . [Full text of this article]

James P B O'Connor, anatomy demonstrator

james.o'connor@man.ac.uk

Dominic R J Kanga, anatomy demonstrator

dominic.r.kanga@man.ac.uk, Department of Anatomy, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT

CiteULike

Complore

Connotea

Del.icio.us Add to Digg

Digg

StumbleUpon Add to Technorati

Technorati What's this?

Relevant Articles

BMJ Publishing Group to launch an international campaign to promote academic medicine: Jocalyn Clark and Richard Smith
BMJ 2003 327: 1001-1002. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Resuscitating clinical research in the United Kingdom: John Bell
BMJ 2003 327: 1041-1043. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Academic medicine: a faltering engine: Paul M Stewart
BMJ 2002 324: 437-438. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

Pramanik, J. (2005). Academic medicine: who is it for?: We need teachers to train teachers. BMJ 330: 361-362 [Full text]
Fielder, A. R, Levin, M., Tudor-Williams, G. (2004). Campaign to revitalise academic medicine: Crisis in UK academia affects academic medicine too. BMJ 328: 1376-1376 [Full text]