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Achieving equal standards in medical student education: is a national exit examination the answer?
Author(s) -
Koczwara Bogda,
Tattersall Martin H N,
Stockler Martin R,
Barton Michael B,
Coventry Brendon J,
Olver Ian N,
Dewar Joanna M,
Millar Jeremy L,
Schwarz Max A,
Starmer Darren L,
Turner David R
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2005.tb06672.x
Subject(s) - curriculum , medical school , medical education , competition (biology) , benchmark (surveying) , process (computing) , work (physics) , national curriculum , medicine , psychology , pedagogy , computer science , engineering , geography , ecology , mechanical engineering , biology , operating system , geodesy
Although it is commonly assumed that the quality of medical school education in Australia is uniformly high, there is no national process for assessing its outcomes. There is substantial variability in the content of medical school curricula, and the process of curriculum change is becoming more challenging because of intense competition for time and space in the course. A national exit examination could provide a uniform standard of assessment for all medical school graduates in Australia, as well as foreign graduates applying to work in Australia. Such an examination could assess medical school outcomes, monitor the effects of curriculum change, and provide a benchmark for new medical schools that would help medical curricula evolve to better meet society's needs.