Changes in the Clerkship in Korean Medical Schools: The Prospect of a Student Internship

Abstract

The subinternship (student internship), a subtype of bedside and clinical training was first developed in the United States. Currently, some medical schools conduct a student internship and many other universities are considering the implementation of a student internship in Korea. If the intern system is abrogated beginning in 2016 as in the United States, then the importance of the student internship will be greatly emphasized for clinical training. To produce good and competent medical doctors, members of medical schools and affiliated hospitals must acknowledge the role of the educational hospital and support student internships. In addition, the effort of the medical community to develop and apply a standard curriculum to the student internship is also required. Above all, the attention of society and the nation is essential to make legal policy changes regarding the conducting of student internships and enhance understanding about the authorized practices in university hospitals. The medical community’s effort to draw attention to this issue is greatly required to implement a student internship at this time.