BMJ  2006;333:601 (16 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7568.601

Letter

A prescription for better prescribing

Medical education is a continuum

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

EDITOR—The editorial by Aronson et al raises important concerns about the preparedness of newly qualified doctors to prescribe safely and effectively, but fails to provide evidence to support the claims that are made.1 Importantly, the authors assume that the number of curricular hours equates to learning. The General Medical Council issues and regularly updates requirements for the content and outcomes of undergraduate medical education and the first foundation year. We deliberately do not tell medical schools how many hours must be spent on a particular subject: it is the acquisition of our learning objectives that is important.

Medical education is a continuum. With respect to prescribing, as with so many other areas of medical education, we expect principles to be learnt and understood at medical school and then put into practice, under supervision, during the F1 year. Our requirements are laid out clearly in Tomorrow's Doctors and The . . . [Full text of this article]

Peter Rubin, chairman

Education Committee, General Medical Council, London NW1 3JN peter.rubin@nottingham.ac.uk


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This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Conroy, S, North, C, Fox, T, Haines, L, Planner, C, Erskine, P, Wong, I, Sammons, H (2008). Educational interventions to reduce prescribing errors. Arch. Dis. Child. 93: 313-315 [Abstract] [Full text]  
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