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If the BMA report is to be believed, it clearly shows that it is very
difficult to make the medical profession accessible to a wide variety of
aspirants. Hence I vote for the abolition of medical school – or least
its physical manifestation. It is expensive, inflexible and narrows the
profession. Furthermore, with the current emphasis on medical students
having to direct their own learning, it becomes increasingly difficult to
find any substantive reason for its existence as a vocational training
centre. If students want to broaden their minds let them go to university
and study for an academic degree, if they want to train as a medical
professional, let them apply for a job as a health care assistant in a
hospital and work their way up. Those with the ability and inclination
could study via a more ‘virtual’ medical school. Standards could be
maintained via a system of national examinations, in a similar way to
membership. Only hospitals which genuinely recognised the value of
training and high clinical standards would attract the better employees
and thus survive. This approach would improve hospital standards, reduce
cost and widen access to the profession. You know it makes sense.
The main reason for this disappointing lack of progress is low
expectation in schools. Most (non-selective) state schools have dumbed
down their subjects to try and achieve reasonable exam results. This means
that few provide three sciences separately at GCSE, many secondary school
students don't study a foreign language or English literature. Bright
children from less well-off backgrounds are being denied the sort of
education that middle-class parents expect and have access to through
paying for private schools or moving to the catchment area of a high-
achieving state school.
Born Again Medical School
If the BMA report is to be believed, it clearly shows that it is very
difficult to make the medical profession accessible to a wide variety of
aspirants. Hence I vote for the abolition of medical school – or least
its physical manifestation. It is expensive, inflexible and narrows the
profession. Furthermore, with the current emphasis on medical students
having to direct their own learning, it becomes increasingly difficult to
find any substantive reason for its existence as a vocational training
centre. If students want to broaden their minds let them go to university
and study for an academic degree, if they want to train as a medical
professional, let them apply for a job as a health care assistant in a
hospital and work their way up. Those with the ability and inclination
could study via a more ‘virtual’ medical school. Standards could be
maintained via a system of national examinations, in a similar way to
membership. Only hospitals which genuinely recognised the value of
training and high clinical standards would attract the better employees
and thus survive. This approach would improve hospital standards, reduce
cost and widen access to the profession. You know it makes sense.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests