The graduate medical school system was designed to allow people from diverse backgrounds to contribute to medicine in Korea, but it has failed to take off due to competition from medical schools, social resistance, and lack of institutional preparation. It is necessary to compare with the U.S. case and seek ways to improve it.
Introduction
The graduate medical school system has been in place in Korea since 2005. The system was modeled after the U.S., which operates medical schools as graduate programs rather than undergraduate programs. Unlike the United States, where the system is considered to be well established, it has not been as successful as expected in Korea. While the medical school system was not abolished, all but four universities decided to return to the medical school system, and Dongguk University decided to run both systems in parallel. However, discussions about the possibilities and limitations of medical education in this process are still ongoing. Let’s take a look at why a policy that has been successfully implemented in the United States has not taken root in Korea.
What is a medical school?
Graduate medical schools in South Korea are educational institutions that train doctors, and they are a conversion of the former medical school (a six-year program) to a four-year graduate program. It is also known as a medical school for short. The idea of introducing a medical school system dates back to the Kim Young-sam administration, when it was discussed as a way to improve the graduate school system, and the name “medical school” was first used by the Education Reform Commission in 1996. Later, during the Kim Dae-jung administration, when Minister of Education Lee Don-hee was the chairman of the New Education Community, he reported to President Kim Dae-jung about the introduction of law and medical graduate schools, and the basic plan was finalized. In the case of law schools, it took a little longer, and preparations for their full-scale introduction were made under the Roh Moo-hyun administration.
Graduate medical schools are open to those with a bachelor’s degree or higher, and students must take the Medical Education Eligibility Test (MEET). The first new students were admitted in 2005, during the Roh Moo-hyun administration. Graduate medical schools offer a different curriculum than traditional medical schools, and students come from a variety of majors and backgrounds, giving them the opportunity to add new perspectives and knowledge to the medical field. Despite these intentions, the system has not been successful in Korea for a variety of reasons.
Arguments for and against the policy
Pro
– People who have completed four years of undergraduate studies or have specialized knowledge in various fields of society can apply their majors to medicine and make various advancements.
– It is a way to solve the current overcrowding of medical schools.
– The problem of an outflow of science and engineering talent can be solved by improving the treatment of science and engineering students and building infrastructure rather than abolishing medical graduate schools.
– In addition, having a wide range of majors in medicine will allow for a multidisciplinary approach to medical research and treatment development. This can ultimately contribute to the advancement of medicine and improve the quality of patient care.
The opposition
– There is a serious brain drain of science and engineering students because medical schools are stealing the best students from science and engineering.
– The high number of military students applying to medical school can lead to a shortage of military doctors.
– There is a problem that the tuition of medical school is twice as much as that of medical school, which reduces the publicity of medical education.
– It is also argued that medical school graduates may be at a disadvantage when competing with traditional medical school graduates, and that the system is not appropriate in a world where medical education is more focused on clinical rather than research.
The American Medical School System
Basically, there are no major differences between the Korean and American medical school systems. Admission to medical school in the United States is largely based on GPA, MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) scores, personal statement, interview, extracurricular activities, volunteerism, leadership, and research. Some schools combine a three-year undergraduate program with a four-year master’s program for high school graduates.
In the United States, medical schools have an M.D.-Ph.D. program. It is funded by the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) of the National Institute of Health (NIH) to train future physician-scientists who will lead medical research and education. Selected students receive medical education while simultaneously conducting experimental research under the supervision of a laboratory for a period of time and then publish their thesis, earning both M.D. and Ph.D. degrees upon graduation. After graduation, physicians who have earned these degrees can become innovative clinicians who ask basic science questions and apply experimental techniques to understand the pathophysiology of disease during the observation and treatment of patients, translate phenomena seen from a clinical perspective back to basic science, or become leading researchers in government or industry who take on and lead an area of research.
In the United States, the physician-patient relationship has been evolving since the late 19th century and has been characterized by collaboration between the medical and academic communities, active support from the government, and social acceptance. As a result, the U.S. medical school system has been stable, and the doctors it produces have contributed to the advancement of medicine around the world. In contrast, the Korean medical school system has struggled due to its relatively short history, social resistance, and lack of sufficient institutional preparation.
