Our country needs new physicians

In the overall context of demographic change, economic constraints, technological developments, epidemiological transition and medical progress, our health system and thereby the provision of health care are faced with considerable challenges which must be taken into account in the education of physicians. What our country needs is not only a larger number of physicians, but also a new and different type. And this requires a radical revision and reorientation of medical curricula which in their conventional form are often overly regimented and lacking in practical relevance.

The fundamentals and findings of natural sciences are frequently taught without relation to practice. The first patients which most medical students see are corpses in anatomy classes. And instruction during the clinical stage is not much closer to practice as a rule. Most medical schools still offer frontal teaching with classes of more than 200. But are such formats of instruction still in keeping with the times? Although a small number of universities have successfully established model curricula for a modern, practice-oriented and future oriented medical education, the majority of the 36 schools of medicine in Germany remain committed to conventional instruction formats.

»Humanity and empathy can be learned and taught to a limited extent only. But this should not be a reason to disregard these qualities in medical education.«

What specific qualities do tomorrow's physicians need? Which diseases are we faced with as a result of demographic change? And how to ensure that individualized high-tech medicine remains affordable and humane? How to handle sick and vulnerable people, how to cope with an increasingly ageing population, or how to inform relatives of a dying person in an objective and at the same time sensitive way? These and similar issues are addressed in the Brandenburg medical model curriculum.

Promoting and demanding personal development

Character and personal development play a core role in our selection procedures as well as in medical education. Selection interviews aim to identify those applicants who match the university profile best.

The medical curriculum is close to practice, patient oriented and interdisciplinary in perspective. It promotes communicative competences, social skills and personal growth. We expect our students to be self-organized and responsible, and we encourage them to design their studies according to individual needs and preferences. In this approach, the courses are aimed to help students in the search for answers to questions which they ask themselves. To handle this degree of freedom successfully is one of the major challenges of studies at the MHB.

It is important for us to know that you take a close look at the orientation and organization of the Brandenburg medical model curriculum.