Medical Education

The morning was filled with more patients with diarrhea, fever, and phatyngitis. Nearly 10 more patients were admitted yesterday with these same symptoms.  Most were from the city,  but a few were from far away provinces.  I spent some time with some of the new admits before rounds started. And in a fashion and rhythm that is only known by the natives, all 20 something patients were seen by 3 attendings and nearly 40 medical students, including yours truly.

After rounds, there is usually a student presentation of a case, but not this morning.  So I had more time with the students to compare notes on medical education,  in the states vs. Phnom Penh.

From what I understood, the medical education in Cambodia is modeled after the French system.  After graduating from high school,  those who have the capacity, financially and intellectually, can enter straight into medical school where they will spend the next 6 years. The first 3 years are spent in the classroom, where they learn the basic sciences.  Year 4, the students start their clinical duties. They spend the mornings rotating in hospitals and the afternoons in lecture halls. After 6 years,  those who want to specialize,  say in pediatrics or surgery, will spend another 4 years rotating between NPH and another general hospital that also provides pediatric care. After all these years, a selected few will have the opportunity to further their education in France.  Those who do not want to specialize can finish their education with just 2 more years of rotating through different hospitals.

When I told them about the medical education in the states, how students spend 4 years in college,  then 4 years in medical school, before finishing in residency and possibly in fellowship, they questioned the necessity of college.  They were even more puzzled when I told them that students can major in a variety of subjects, not necessarily in the field of science.  I can see why they are puzzled.  It might seem like wasted time.  Could I have succeeded if I had gone straight to medical school from high school?  I believe I could have, but I would miss out on the experiences I gained in college,  in the 6 weeks I spent studying abroad in France or the 3 weeks I spent volunteering in an orphanage home in India. The "extra" years have given me the opportuntities to go to new places, try new things, experience new cultures, like coming to work at NPH for a month.