[Foundations for the classification of medical specialist programs in a national qualifications framework]

Qualification of learning outcomes in terms of knowledge, skills, responsibility and autonomy provided by medical specialist programs is of interest to State authorities, educational service providers, employers, and specialists. Countries that are signatories to the Bologna Process and others outside Europe, established that the guaranteed primary degree for medical studies is the Master in Medicine (second cycle). There is agreement that medical specialist programs are more advanced than a Master of Medicine but are different from the Doctor of Medicine (third cycle) in their clinical orientation. These programs usually do not have research components and occasionally they are not carried out in the higher education system. However, the level of qualification of medical specialist programs has not been established due to lack of consensus. In Chile, this decision becomes even more complicated due to the certification of "licenciatura" (first cycle) that medical schools provide. There are also gaps in the educational classification procedure employed by the country. However, the review of national qualification frameworks and government acts shows that some countries have validated these certifications as third cycle. Medical specialties certainly do not correspond to PhD programs and the eligibility of the qualification level must be guaranteed to all stakeholders, who require an agreement on the specific national framework of learning outcomes and competencies.