The Council of Deans to Submit KAMC Proposal to Government
Graduation Schedule for Third-Year Students Remains Unresolved
The deans of medical schools have agreed to set the graduation date for fourth-year medical students for August next year, and plan to recommend to the government that an additional national medical licensing examination be administered. However, they were unable to reach a consensus regarding the graduation schedule for third-year students.
On July 22, Yonhap News reported that the Council of Deans for the Advancement of Medical Colleges, a gathering of presidents from 40 medical schools nationwide, has decided to submit this proposal to the government.
The Council of Deans for the Advancement of Medical Colleges, a gathering of deans from 40 medical schools nationwide, will hold an emergency meeting on the 17th to discuss measures to normalize medical education for returning medical students. On this day, a gown is hanging in a lecture room at a medical college in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News
The Korean Association of Medical Colleges and Graduate Schools of Medicine (KAMC), a group of medical school deans, held two meetings?one on the previous day and another on this day?to reach a consensus on the graduation schedule for fourth-year students.
Eligibility to take the national licensing exam is granted to medical school graduates or those expected to graduate within six months. If the current fourth-year students graduate in August next year, they will not be eligible to take this year's exam, which is scheduled for the clinical skills section between September and November and the written section in January of the following year.
According to the "Accreditation of Medical Education" by the Korea Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation, each medical school must ensure 36 hours of clinical practice per week for a total of 52 weeks. Only those who meet these requirements are eligible to graduate and take the national licensing exam.
As a result, the Council of Deans is expected to request that the government administer an additional licensing exam in the first half of next year. If this additional exam is not held, fourth-year students will only be able to obtain their medical licenses in January of the year after next, which is more than five months after graduation.
However, the deans were unable to reach an agreement on the graduation schedule for third-year students. Initially, there was strong consideration of reducing the two-year academic program for third-year students to one and a half years, allowing them to graduate in February 2027. However, some schools opposed this plan, insisting on graduation in August 2027.
The Ministry of Education has stated that it will immediately begin discussions if the organizations representing medical school presidents and deans present a unified proposal after further deliberations.
Ministry of Education spokesperson Koo Yeonhee said at a briefing the previous day, "The deans and presidents of medical schools are continuing their discussions, and the specifics will likely be determined through their meetings. I believe the plan to normalize medical education should be finalized within this month."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
