Premedical Curriculum in Seoul National University College of Medicine

Abstract

The main points of issue with the former premedical curriculum of Seoul National University College of Medicine (SNUCM) were the absence of educational objectives, decline in student motivation caused by uniform education, students’ lack of a sense of belonging, and lack of humanistic education. In accordance with these issues, there were five aspects considered for the improvement of the premedical curriculum: reform based on the newly established educational objectives that corresponds with the 6-year medical school curriculum as a whole, expansion of elective courses and the development of personalized curriculum for the improvement of students’ learning motives, expansion of social sciences and humanities curriculum for the development of students’ capabilities as good doctors, active participation of medical professors in premedical education, and expansion of informal education and the student support program. According to the assessment done after the implementation of the reformed curriculum, premedical students were gratified with its establishment and management of multifarious liberal arts and major subjects. In preparation of the more rigorous entrance quota of the premedical school at SNUCM, there is ongoing reform of required major subjects and establishment of new subjects in the premedical curriculum in pursuit of unity with the 6-year medical curriculum. Moreover, there is ongoing development of an e-portfolio system for the association of premedical and medical education, integration of formal and informal curriculum, and reinforcement of student observation and formative evaluation. Further discussion on the assessment and betterment of premedical curriculum is needed.