The many costs of condensed medical degrees

Finn and colleagues highlight the potential unintended consequences of shortened medical degrees—particularly regarding access to medicine, degree attrition rates, and reduced global recognition of the UK medical degree.1Of particular concern is “paradoxically rising unemployment.” Increasing medical student and foundation year doctor cohorts, without concomitant increases in senior posts, will exacerbate competition for specialty training and consultant posts at a time when existing bottlenecks are creating disenchantment and having adverse consequences on clinician retention.2 While foundation year doctors are an essential part of the workforce, it is senior doctors who run clinics, perform operations, and lead ward rounds. Hastening progression through medical school will not, on its own, create the workforce needed by NHS England’s long term workforce plan to tackle lengthy waiting times.Further, condensing the time that students spend undertaking clinical placements places additional pressure on the hours being of maximal educational value. Provision of time for supervision and teaching…
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