Kingsbridge

Most people in the UK enter medical college straight from school, but there has been some debate as to whether changing the system to open up graduate level entry would provide the diverse workforce needed for the future.

Currently, university courses in medicine typically last five years, followed by two years of training as a junior doctor before a full qualification is gained.

Those who may have studied a more traditional three or four year degree in another subject may reach graduation, and then decide that they want to embark on a career in medicine.

Under the current system, they would then have to start a medicine degree from scratch, meaning that their total time spent in further education is perhaps ten or eleven years before they can become a qualified doctor. This of course puts many people off pursuing a career in medicine who didn't choose to study it at the age of 18 straight from school.

Ed Peile, Professor of Medical Education at the University of Warwick, argues that we must stop the headlong rush of pupils going straight from school into five year long medical courses in order to move away from a niche medical workforce.

Speaking to the British Medical Journal, he says: "Graduate medical schools can be especially well placed to draw out the broader range of skills needed by future doctors. Students who were underdeveloped at school can get another chance to read medicine after achieving good grades in a first degree."

"A change to a single system of graduate entry medical schools in the UK should attract mature learners with high levels of motivation, independence of outlook, and orientation towards hard work. Graduate entrants have the additional maturity and strengthened interpersonal skills necessary to provide the diverse multi-skilled workforce needed for the future."

A similar approach is already in place in America, where doctors progress from high school to university and then to medical school.

Charles George: "It would also cost more to the taxpayer for students to do both a first degree and a postgraduate medical degree."

Currently around 10% of UK medical school places are on graduate entry courses, which enable graduates to move from science or arts learning at university to the level of competence needed for foundation year work in medicine.

But Charles George, Chair of the Board of Science and Education at the British Medical Association, argues that there is no evidence that graduate entrants make better doctors, and also raises the issue of costs.

He says: "We do not need to modify the current system by restricting entry to graduates. It would be discriminatory to school leavers and to mature non-graduates to limit medical training to people who already have a degree in the absence of any convincing evidence of benefit. It would also cost more to the taxpayer for students to do both a first degree and a postgraduate medical degree."

"Although graduate entrants increase the diversity of our future doctors, there is insufficient evidence to make this a universal criterion for entry. Finally, we should not forget that graduate and mature entrants are subject to additional stresses, such as balancing commitments and lack of leisure time. They also face extra financial pressures."

The cost of being a junior doctor has increased by 80% over the last seven years, according to figures published by the British Medical Association. Over the same period, junior doctors’ basic salaries have increased by little more than 20%, and supplements paid for antisocial hours have fallen.

Surely the balance needs to be addressed if the medical profession in the UK is to continue to thrive, and attract a broad range of talented doctors for our future health care.

The article Eleven years of study to become a doctor originally appeared on 999 Today