Promoting Health in Japan under the American Occupation ［1945-1952］ - the Design of the 8-Year Medical Education Program / 医学教育

  In 1945, the Committee for Investigation of Japanese Medical Science, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers ［SCAP］, proposed that future Japanese medical students receive a four-year liberal-arts pre-medical education, followed by four years of medical-technical training. The proposal was promoted by Colonel （later Brigadier-General） Crawford F. Sams, Chief, Public Health & Welfare Section, SCAP, and the Medical Education Council in the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Japanese Government.<br>  However, Professor Yoshishige Abe, Chairman of the Education Reform Committee of the Ministry of Education, and a former Minister of Education, refused to accept the proposal in light of impoverished post-war Japanese resources.<br>  The proposal was abandoned when the Civil Information & Education Section, and the Chief of Staff, SCAP, were both unwilling to issue directives to the Japanese Government to implement the proposal. The six-year medical education program, comprised of two years of liberal-arts pre-medical study and four years of medical-technical training within the individual medical schools, thus became the norm in post-war Japan.<br>  Since 2009, Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara, M.D., Honorary Director of the St. Luke’s International Hospital in Tokyo, has been advocating for a “Graduate Medical School” attached to the St. Luke’s International Hospital. This graduate medical school model would accept students on completion of at least a bachelor’s degree. If actualized, it would be a noteworthy trial of an eight-year medical education program, almost seventy years after it was first proposed in Japan.

Differences in Factors Affecting Medical Specialty Choices between Medical College Students and Graduate Medical School Students / 한국의학교육

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to compare the specialty preference and factors that affect choices of medical specialties between medical college students and graduate medical school students. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was conducted in 563 medical students, and 482 (graduates: 199, undergraduates: 283) responded (response rate, 85.61%). The students completed a brief survey, which included 39 items that sampled their demographic data, career choice, and factors that influenced their choice. RESULTS: Most students in medical college and graduate medical school preferred clinical medicine. Graduate medical school students preferred internal medicine, pediatrics, and family medicine. In contrast, medical college students preferred neurology, family medicine, and psychiatry. Important factors that affected the selection of specialties were seniors' advice, advice of other students, clerkship experiences, and specialty experiences. CONCLUSION: This result shows that there are differences in the factors that affect the selection of medical specialties between medical college students and graduate medical school students. But, the opportunity to explore future careers and to consult their choice of specialty, in accordance with the needs and characteristics of individual students, must be provided for all medical students.

The Comparison of Backgrounds and Characteristics of Students in Medical College and Graduate Medical School: A Case Study of One Medical School / 한국의학교육

PURPOSE: Information about students is important not only in developing curriculum and teaching strategies, but also in providing support to them. We surveyed students in 2004 (Medical collage) and 2007 (Graduate Medical School) to change our educational system to the GMS. By comparing the characteristics of these students, we expected the new curriculum to be more appropriate for the GMS students. METHODS: Our survey tool was a modified version of the matriculating student questionnaires used by the American Association of Medical Colleges. 60 (80.2%) matriculating students in 2004 (MC), and 71 (93.4%) in 2007 (GMS) responded to the survey. A total of 101 items were asked in 5 areas- 1) Demographic Data, 2) Pre-medical school experience, 3) Medical school application, 4) Career plans and interests, and 5) Perceptions of Medicine and Medical Service. RESULTS: Graduate Medical School matriculates have more diverse backgrounds and experiences before entrance than MC matriculates. GMS students are more sensitive to social issues and accountabilities of medicine and have a higher interest in working with other professionals. Both groups of students were similar in ranking medical professionalism higher than occupational stability or social economic compensation. CONCLUSION: We can use this information about students for curriculum development and, in particular, the differences seen between MC and GMS students could be helpful in improving medical education. If the survey were collected longitudinally and nation-wide, the results could be valuable for policy making not only in medical education but also in medical care and health of the nation.

Comparison of Students' Characteristics and Perceptions Before and After Introduction Into Graduate Medical School System / 한국의학교육

PURPOSE: This study was performed to compare the characteristics and perceptions of medical school students and professional graduate medical school students. METHODS: Study subjects were 131 medical students from a national university and 113 applicants of a professional graduate medical school. We developed a self-reported questionnaire asking about socio-demographic characteristics; the level of satisfaction of educational environment; perception of missions of medical education and career plan and student activities during school. RESULTS: Students from the professional graduate medical school were significantly different from medical students in socio-demographic characteristics. They also showed higher satisfaction with their education, were more supportive of student union activities and were more anxious about economic and health problems than medical students. However, there was no difference between the two groups regarding perception of missions of medical education and career plan after graduation. CONCLUSION: Based on the above results, it is necessary to consider the characteristics and perceptions of professional graduate medical students when developing educational policies for these older students. The limitation of this study includes a restricted sample, and generalization of results should be done carefully. Thus, more extensive, wide-ranging studies would be useful.

Comparison of the First Year Curricular Achievements between Students of the Medical College and the Professional Graduate Medical School in Chungbuk National University / 한국의학교육

PURPOSE: Chungbuk National University Professional Graduate Medical School(PGMS) was established in 2005. Students in this program have been taught together with the medical college (MC) students under the same curriculum. The first year now being complete, we decided to assess the curricular achievements of the PGMS students. METHODS: We analyzed the academic achievements of the PGMS and the MC students by comparing the test scores of each subject taught during the first year. RESULTS: MC students showed significantly higher achievements in 'Structural basis of the human body' and 'Neuroanatomy', while PGMS students showed significantly better achievements in 'Health and Society I'. In the remaining subjects, the achievements of the PGMS students were comparable to those of the MC students. And there was a difference of variances in 'Microstructure of the human cell and tissue', 'Molecular genetics' and 'Pathology', showing the heterogeneity of the two groups. CONCLUSION: There was no difference in the overall achievement between the PGMS and MC students in the first year of Chungbuk National University Professional Graduate Medical School. However, the different characteristics between the PGMS and MC students suggest some need for curricular differentiation between the two groups.