A second open letter to the General Medical Council

In an open letter to the General Medical Council this independent group, drawn from several branches of the profession, expressed the belief that undergraduate medical education was failing in two respects; first, in the extent to which it equips doctors with the capacity to think critically for themselves; and secondly, in the degree to which it inculcates a broad and sensitive outlook towards the health of both individuals and communities. A remedy for both lies, in our opinion, in the better co-ordination of the different stages of medical education. Particularly important in this context is the period immediately after graduation. We therefore welcome the attention which the General Medical Council's Education Committee is now paying to this second stage. We welcome also the view which it has expressed that it is necessary to continue a broad education into the period when the qualified doctor is assuming responsibility for patient care. In this second letter we propose and discuss six aims for this period; and changes in educational organization needed if these aims are to be fulfilled.