Four year medical degrees in the UK: consider a final year apprenticeship instead

Finn and colleagues make several excellent points.1 Four year graduate entry courses are a useful model; generally these have been successful in reducing the course from five years. This has been done partly by making the course more intense, by extending the academic year, and by the presumption of relevant existing knowledge. Some courses now admit students with humanities degrees, suggesting that other qualities and skills are as important as scientific knowledge. The question to be answered, however, is whether school leavers can achieve the same. That seems doubtful—much development happens between the ages of 18 and 22—but could be a focus for discussion.Perhaps we are looking at the wrong end. The pandemic taught us the valuable contribution final year students could make to patient care. The final year of study could become a paid “apprenticeship,” with a contract with the employer describing clear levels of responsibility and supervision. This…
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