Specialized Medical Graduate School to be Introduced in 2003.

One who did not go a medical school can become a doctor when the 4 year course Specialized Medical, Dental Graduate Schools (SMDGS) are founded in 2003.

Once this system is introduced, one who passes the Medical Education Entering Test (MEET) after taking 90 credits in a four-year college for more than 2 years can be a doctor by entering the SMDGS. Current system in which a high school graduate enters a pre-med program in a college to be a doctor will also be continued as it is.

The council for adopting SMDGS (chair: Hur Gap-Bum Yonsei University Medical School Professor) revealed a basic plan on the SMDGS as they held a public hearing on 5th at the auditorium in Seoul National University (SNU)’s Dental School Hospital.

According to the plan, 41 medical schools and 11 dental schools in Korea can open the SMDGSs from 2003 to 2006 depending on the schools’ own situations.

Seven universities including SNU, Yonsei, Korea, Hanyang, Kyunghee, and Ewha Women’s universities are planning to found the SMDGSs and select new students from the year of 2005.

Universities can either close current schools of medicine or maintain them as they administer the SMDGSs at the same time. Four universities including Yonsei University are to close current pre-med programs.

The SMDGSs individually select new students based on their own standards that include the MEET scores, GPAs from college, and whether the student has taken preliminary courses or not.

It is also up to the schools whether they select students from other universities or not.

Students in SMDGSs must pass an introductory medical educational test that evaluates students’ nature to be a doctor and a comprehensive qualifying exam. After a student finishes these procedures, he or she receives an MD degree or a DMD degree and has a capacity to take the national license examination to be a doctor.

A graduate of a SMDGS can only select one option to be either a medical doctor after finishing a residency program, or to receive a Ph.D degree after completing a certain study course.

Ministry of Education and Human Resources announced that they are to decide upon the plan at the end of this year after receiving a final report from the council and collecting opinions from different departments.

Lee In-Chul inchul@donga.com