The process for recognizing of foreign medical degrees in Costa Rica: a statistical survey for the past 15 years

Abstract

This article presents the most important developments in the recognition process of foreign medical degrees in Costa Rica over the past fifteen years. Most applicants received their medical degrees in Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Mexico. By far the most numerous group completed their studies in Cuba, followed by graduates from Venezuelan and Nicaraguan universities, the number of which has increased in the last five years. The pass rate of the written examination used in the recognition process is 23.9% with relatively large fluctuations between graduates of the individual countries, especially between the countries with the lowest numbers of graduates. The main goal of the recognition process is to ensure that graduates from different study conditions and curricula as well as from diverging areas of specialization of the faculties abroad have competencies and knowledge comparable to those of medical graduates in Costa Rica. The focus is on the safety of the patient, as is the case with state exams in many countries.

What do we mean by “lessons learned”? Medical didactic research deficits before the post-COVID era. A call!

“…While Boehme et al [ 11 ] describe the preparation and the – not unproblematic – implementation status of digitalization in a nationwide survey, Simmenroth et al [ 12 ] present a concrete, semi-digital teaching scenario on “Alcohol and Smoking Counseling”. López Dávila et al [ 13 ] describe nationwide quality care in the recognition of medical degrees earned abroad in Costa Rica, and Pentzek et al [ 14 ] examine quality development of general medical clerkships through collegial feedback. Nikendei et al describe [ 15 ] compensatory effects of voluntary assignments to support COVID-19 patients by students on, for example, “professional identification” while bedside teaching was absent, and Rohr et al describe positive attitudes toward optional teaching components, in this case visionary elective curricula, in their article [ 16 ].…”