The scope of practical training of medical training at the UT will be twice of the present scope

As from the new academic year, the Faculty of Medicine of UT will increase the proportion of the clinical practical training of the doctors’ curriculum. As a result, the sixth year of the medical training will be a year of practical training during which the students will have 36 weeks of practical training: 8 weeks of pre-medicine and 28 weeks of hospital medicine.

The main aim of changing the curriculum is to provide the students finishing medical training with better practical skills by changing the presently valid curriculum and the structure of practical training as well as by specifying the study results. The aim is also to involve, additionally to the Foundation of Tartu University Hospital, more health care institutions and family physicians from Tallinn, Pärnu, East-Virumaa as well as from other parts of Estonia in preparing the future doctors during their main period of studies.

According to the new curriculum, practical training will be conducted during two terms, during which practical part of internal medicine, accident and emergency medicine, surgery and pre-medicine will be covered. In certain cases clinical cycle of choice or research studies will be added. As a rule, the cycles of practical training of hospital medicine are conducted in one hospital, thus ensuring more efficient adaption of a student to the actual working environment. At the same time, health care institutions will have better possibilities for engaging trainees in daily activities of the hospital.

Structural changes in medical training will bring along increasing expenses for the faculty during the transitional period – the necessary subjects need to be moved forward in order to manage with the practical training in the sixth year. This means that the same subjects need to be taught simultaneously to the students of two years; the increasing amount of practical training will need additional resources as well. The changes will also involve structure of the subjects. “In order to meet the requirements of the European standard documents, needs of the health care sector and expectations of the students, these changes are inevitable," said Karki.

Transition to the new curriculum will begin in the academic year of 2014/2015 when the curriculum of the third, fourth and fifth year students will change. In the academic year of 2015/2016, the arrangement of new clinical practical training in the sixth year will be commenced.