[Medical education in a bachelors and masters system]

Gain of basic and applied medical knowledge and the changing demands of society with regard to medical professions are the main factors for continuous reforms in medical curricula. The Bologna Declaration of 1999 initiated the development of a unified European higher education area. A key tool for unification is the introduction of the Bachelors/Masters system. Although some European countries have adapted their medical curricula to the Bachelors/Masters system there is still debate on this issue in Germany. Some societies, e.g., the Society for Medical Education, demonstrated how the Bachelors/Masters system might be transferred to Germany. Moreover, the German Association of Medical Students already published a core curriculum compatible with the Bologna criteria. Some central elements of the Bologna Declaration have already been or could easily be integrated into the current structure of medical studies, e.g., quality assurance or a credit point transfer system. Furthermore, in the framework of the German medical licensure law, it is possible to introduce a curriculum fully compatible with the Bologna Declaration. A meaningful prerequisite would be a unified national (or European) qualification frame and catalog of learning objectives, designed according to the Bologna criteria. This should guarantee good mobility for medical students within Europe.