MEDICAL COURSE

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 82, 5 April 1924, Page 13

MEDICAL COURSE

THE UNIVERSITY SENATE

(By Prof. T. A. Hunter.)

Some years ago the Board of Studies, on representations made to it by- tho Medical Faculty of the Otago University, agreed to recommend the Senate to lengthen the course in medicine from five years to sis years. A member of the Board of Studies, who was also a' medical man, Dr. Chilton, objected to the extension, on the ground that whileart is long, time is fleeting, and that it is impossible to continue' to extend the lengih- of the medical.course as medical science develops. He suggested that the proper thing to do was to concentrate on the training of general practitioners who might afterwards specialise, if they so- desired. In any case, if the course were lengthened, lie urged that it was desirable that the^additional year should be spent at clmical work in a hospital after the University course was completed and before the candidate was registered as a medical man. The Board of Studies, impressed by the argument of the Medi-. cal Faculty, that the alterations were necessitated by the regulations of the British General Medical Council, rejected the suggestion of- Dr. Chilton, and adopted the recommendation of the 'Medical 'Faculty." 'In 1922 the Seriate, having agreed to the proposal, enacted a statute to bring it into effect, and it is now' in operation. ' ■ As I am convinced that the Senate adopted this course without fully realis-. irig the effects of the change it was making, and as the statutes of the Uni- < versity, as now framed, do 'not provide a safe guide for students who decide to take-the medioal course, I feel' compelled to place the facts- before the public through the Press. „ .

The subject iis, of course, intricate, hut the main points may be gathered by a 'consideration of the outline of the courses drawn up by the General Medical Council and by the New Zealand University -respectively.,. ■ ■ ■ . Medical Council. N.Z. University. l.^-General Education. ' Matriculation pro- Medical Preliminyided the follow \ary Examination , irig 4 subjects are 6 subjects: Eng .passed: (i) English, Latm, Mathe■hsh,_ , (ii) Mathematics, Greek "or matics, ■ (iii) a for- foreign ' modern ign language,- or' language, a science, ' : jiv) another sub another subject: | joct. Registration ia "- ■'.■'.■ New Zealand. • ■2.—lntermediate Physics and Chem- Chemistry, Physics, islry passed at one and. Bioiogy: 3 examiation.- : - subjects at one ex; . . animation ■/or g subjects in one ex ! j • ' . ■" amination, and .1" : ■ ' • -. subject in the second examination.. '. No student can b.e- - ■.'■■• gin" the ; medical • . . ■ ... . studies till this ex- • ■-." ■ . amination is coin- •■ • T. • '■•'• •' Pleted- ' ■'•■ 'i:. , Registration in Eegistration in ■:-■■ Britain.". .":. • Britain. ... - '.■■.'■•■■ After passing in • , ' Physics and Chem- ■.'."■■'" ' istry at the one ex-' ,',.,; .'■ amination. 3.—Medical. Studies. .. .; ' ','!), ??, olo ?y-" , : ; Special ■•:'■' medipal (v) Physics, Chem- ■ : studies *^ . : istry and Bio- :. ;■ , .. logy. ■as applied ••.'■ . . ' . ...■■,, : .i to.medicine. ;. ;;■.., «,r- .-i-;: ... (iii).' Special mcdi ' • " .:■. cal studies.. ; _-:. ; . -These studies (under.3;) cover a minimum' period'rof five'yeare in each case. ■" " ■-." I.make:the following comparisons and comments:—,.;:." ""■'■;■.'■■?. ' ' .

,1. It is quite 'clear: that the scope of the entrance examination 'is ; wider in New Zealand than is required by the regulations of the Medicill ; Council. . It is sure.ly ' anomalous tha.t'. the universities' in Britain that accept the matriculation of the New Zealand University -will recognise it for the entrance to', the medical course, but that .the New Zealand Uni-. versity will not recognise it. I mention this point not because' I think the standard of entrance in New Zealand too high but for purposes of comparison; it will enable the public to realise that the peculiar .regulations for the intermediate are not the result of the lower standard of entrance in. New Zealand. • . '

. 2. -The arrangements for the intermediate examination are not in tiie interests of students. ••,..•'. ' .

(a) The student in New Zeaiand is compelled to complete the three subjects (physics, chemistry, biology) before he can'enter on the five-year course-of his medical studies, while the student in Britain can enter on this course after passing in physics and chemistry. (b) In New Zealand no work done prior to entrance to the University can be counted: in Britain ' instruction in physics, in chemistry, and even in biology may be taken prior to* entrance to the University. It •is said that the schools in New Zealand' cannot prepare' candidates to' the'standard in science, but they do prepare candidates for the science papers of the' junior University scholarship examination. If a pupil passes the matriculation examination at sixteen years of age, and stays on at his secondary school doing the science work for the scholarship till he is 18 or 19 years,of age, surely the regulations should provide that, if he reaches the standard required for the intermediate examination, he should get credit .for his work. .

(c) Nowhere in the statutes of the University is any indication given that chemistry, and physics must be. taken at the one examination. Indeed the University .Calendar (p. 178, section v.) leads not only the candidate but also his academic advisers to believe that-a pass in any two subjects will count. Students who attempt the examination in three subjects and pass in chemistry and physics count these- subjects,' but a candidate] who passes in biology and ,one. of the other subjects cannot count his-pass in this pair, for such a pass does not comply with the regulations of" the-Peneral Medical Council. The' student will be compelled to pass in these subjects again; As, I believe, fully 70' per cent, of the students who attempt to pass the three subjects at the ■ one examination fail to achieve their purpose, the public will realise how seriously (the candidates are being misled by the i regulations.

It is clear that the .regulations of the General Medical Council provide that a student who comes well prepared to the University may obtain his medical degree in five years, while the New Zealand regulations would not allow him to achieve this result in less than six years, not even if he had obtained the M.A. degree with first-class honours in chemistry, and had taken both physics and chemistry for the B.A. degree. Further, as I have shqwn, the regulations governing the intermediate examination are such that for the large majority of students the minimum length of the course will bo seven years' and for very many eight years. ,

Is it in the interests of the community that these conditions should continue to exist? .-,

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