Accelerating Change in Medical Education after the Dismantlement of the Intern Training System

Abstract

In light of changes in today’s medical environment, whether to dismantle the 50-year-old internship training system in the Republic of Korea is under debate. Although the question remains open, discussions on such issues have drawn attention to the quality of the clinical clerkship and student career advisory programs in medical colleges. The purpose of this study is to analyze the experiential clerkship and career exploration issues. Ensuring excellence of the clerkship and career advisory sessions is an essential responsibility of educational institutions regardless of whether the intern training system is dismantled. Important objectives of the experimental clerkship include reinforcing prerequisites established by law, introducing a student practice license, developing a standardized clinical assessment and student portfolio requirement, and publishing a guidebook for clinical directors. For career exploration, it is necessary to broaden participants’ experiences of specialties and to manage the variety of student career guidance programs. It is imperative for the Korean Association of Medical Colleges, in collaboration with medical colleges, to play a leading role in focusing more attention and effort on such issues.