The Flexner report: 100 years later

Douglas Page,Adrian Baranchuk

doi:10.5116/ijme.4cb4.85c8

Douglas Page, Adrian Baranchuk

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5116/ijme.4cb4.85c8

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Abstract

The Flexner Report of 1910 transformed the nature and process of medical education in America with a resulting elimination of proprietary schools and the establishment of the biomedical model as the gold standard of medical training. This transformation occurred in the aftermath of the report, which embraced scientific knowledge and its advancement as the defining ethos of a modern physician. Such an orientation had its origins in the enchantment with German medical education that was spurred by the exposure of American educators and physicians at the turn of the century to the university medical schools of Europe. American medicine profited immeasurably from the scientific advances that this system allowed, but the hyper-rational system of German science created an imbalance in the art and science of medicine. A catching-up is under way to realign the professional commitment of the physician with a revision of medical education to achieve that purpose.

Highlights

The Flexner report, published in 1910, was written as one of North America’s earliest large scale attempts to standardize medical education.[2]
In 1908, the Carnegie Foundation appointed Abraham Flexner to undertake a survey of medical education across the US and Canada in order to evaluate all medical schools in existence at that time
Though Flexner reported a surplus of physicians at that time, the ratio of physicians per population is almost double today what it was in 1908 (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

The Flexner report, published in 1910, was written as one of North America’s earliest large scale attempts to standardize medical education.[2]. The Flexner report, published in 1910, was written as one of North America’s earliest large scale attempts to standardize medical education.[2] In 1908, the Carnegie Foundation appointed Abraham Flexner to undertake a survey of medical education across the US and Canada in order to evaluate all medical schools in existence at that time. Flexner visited 155 schools in 18 months to evaluate their laboratory and clinical facilities, admissions requirements, student fees, endowment funds, and quality of teaching.[3,4] He recorded ratios of practicing physicians for different provinces and states.

Results

Conclusion