Medical education in the People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China is in the process of developing a comprehensive system of health care for one-quarter of the world's population. A continually evolving system of medical education that presently operates on three levels for the education and training of (a) "barefoot" or worker doctors, (b) "assistant" doctors, midwives, and nurses, and (c) both traditional and Western-style physicians has been a key factor in the process. Three aspects of Chinese medical education are noteworthy for the contrast they provide to medical education in the United States. In the first place, Chinese students enter medical college and become committed to a medical career immediately upon completion of secondary school. Second, Chinese medical colleges are independent of their universities, and all education for the health professions is integrated under a single college. A common curriculum and faculty are used for a considerable portion of each educational program. Finally, the entire medical curriculum is five to six years in duration, and postgraduate education is not required for the practice of medicine in China; nor is it available to the majority of graduates.