Undergraduate medical education in the U.S. and Israel: contrasts and common challenges

Abstract

In 2014, the Israeli Council for Higher Education (CHE) commissioned an international panel of outstanding educators to prepare an ad hoc report reviewing the four established medical schools in Israel. The report described the strengths, weaknesses and challenges facing medical education in Israel with a focus on three specific areas: workforce planning, the structure of the curriculum and the financing of medical education.There are interesting parallels between the challenges facing medical education in the U.S. and in Israel: a lack of clarity regarding the optimal size for the workforce and the optimal method for enhancing the number of primary care physicians; an absence of methodologies for evaluating innovations in medical education and a lack of transparency in funds flow. However, there are also important differences, one of the most important being an absence in Israel of students’ hands-on responsibility for their patients until year six of their undergraduate medical education.The presence of a small number of medical schools with common funding and geographic proximity, in a relative sense, provides the Israeli medical schools with a unique opportunity to evaluate innovations in medical education and to set a high bar for inter-school collaboration and cooperation.

Are They Complying? Physicians’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Readiness to Change Regarding Low Back Pain Treatment Guideline Adherence

“…It is possible that RTI and CA&B are associated in Europe and the U.S. due to the differences in family medicine education among Israel, Europe and the U.S. 33 In order to complete a residency in Family Medicine (FM) in Israel, the student must first complete the sixyear MDprogram, pass a national exam, fulfill a one year rotating internship and finishthe FM residency program. This includes 15 months in primary care teaching clinics, 10 months in the internal medicine department, 5 months in pediatrics, two in Emergency Medicine and four months spent in two month rotations chosen from other specialties including oncology, gastroenterology, etc...…”

“…Other studies have found an association between the GPs and PCPs orientation or beliefs with his/her recommendations and consistency with guidelines, similar to our GK measurement. 10,14,17,29,[30][31] Additional studies also found a connection between RTI and CA&B, 2, 5, 32 an association that was not evident in our results.It is possible that RTI and CA&B are associated in Europe and the U.S. due to the differences in family medicine education among Israel, Europe and the U.S. 33 In order to complete a residency in Family Medicine (FM) in Israel, the student must first complete the sixyear MDprogram, pass a national exam, fulfill a one year rotating internship and finishthe FM residency program. This includes 15 months in primary care teaching clinics, 10 months in the internal medicine department, 5 months in pediatrics, two in Emergency Medicine and four months spent in two month rotations chosen from other specialties including oncology, gastroenterology, etc...…”