Medical education in India: Time to make some changes.
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Date
2012-05
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Abstract
India is in need of well-trained doctors. We highlight and analyse
some of the problems affecting medical education in India and
their possible solutions. The medical education system can be
reviewed under four heads: selection of students, medical training,
evaluation, and the development and accreditation of faculty.
In India, students enter medical colleges without receiving
sufficient orientation about the profession. If students were given
some exposure to various professions in the final years of school,
it would help address this issue. Medical students are selected on
the basis of pre-medical tests consisting of multiple-choice
questions, the validity of which is being questioned increasingly.
There is no coordination between the scheduling of lectures
on various diseases and their management and the clinical
exposure of the students. Active involvement in treatment is
limited to the final year, called internship, which is hampered by
preparation for postgraduate entrance examinations. Efforts
should be made to provide hands-on experience at an earlier
time in the course.
A systematic and reliable programme for evaluation is a must.
There is a need for a shift in the focus of evaluation, which should
assess the application of knowledge rather than the ability to
recall facts. The replacement of the traditional long-/short-case
examinations with more valid and reliable instruments for the
assessment of clinical skills should be considered.
‘Vision 2015’, a document developed by the Medical
Council of India, contains many notable recommendations for
the improvement of the current system. If these are implemented
effectively, the impact of improvement in Indian medical education
will be felt globally.
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JAYAKRISHNAN T, HONHAR M, JOLLY G P, ABRAHAM J, JAYAKRISHNAN T. Medical education in India: Time to make some changes. National Medical Journal of India. 2012 May-Jun; 25(3): 164-167.