BMJ  2005;330:361-362 (12 February), doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7487.361-c

Letter

Academic medicine: who is it for?

We need teachers to train teachers

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

EDITOR—Detoriorating teaching standards in academic medicine have raised deep concerns all over the world.^{1 2} Although several highly qualified people have been appointed to high positions in the academic medicine departments of several colleges, not much improvement has been shown over the years.

Teachers are born with a talent, but others can learn teaching skills through rigorous practice and training. The teaching profession has been losing its glory and dignity in recent years because academic medicine is becoming rapidly commercialised. Hire and fire systems are becoming common. Medical teachers need to sacrifice their lucrative practising career to join a teaching post in a medical school.

Hardly any systems of teaching training and evaluation are in place, only students' feedback and individual complaints. Most of the efficient medical teachers cannot tolerate the behaviour of the authorities, find better opportunities, and leave. Frequent changes in teaching patterns by different newcomers result . . . [Full text of this article]

St Christopher's College of Medicine, Luton, Bedfordshire LU1 3BE pramanik_dr2000@yahoo.co.uk

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