Medical education: past, present and future

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Professions Education
• Curriculum Development

Background:

• The Flexner report of 1910 significantly shaped medical education.
• Twentieth-century changes integrated biomedical science into preclinical curricula, termed 'post-Flexnerian'.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review historical changes in medical education.
• To propose a new direction for clinical education in response to evolving healthcare systems.

Main Methods:

• Historical review of medical education reforms since the Flexner report.
• Analysis of current healthcare system trends impacting clinical training.

Main Results:

• Medical education underwent significant 'post-Flexnerian' changes, emphasizing preclinical biomedical science integration.
• Current healthcare shifts necessitate a re-evaluation of clinical education, heralding a 'post-Oslerian' era.

Conclusions:

• Clinical education may need to decouple from direct patient care.
• Curricula utilizing sequenced simulated cases offer a potential model for future clinical training.