Shortening the medical curriculum

A recent CMAJ editorial discussed revising the medical curriculum in Canada.¹ The 3-year medical degree programs offered by the University of Calgary and McMaster University provide almost the same amount of in-class time as 4-year medical schools in Canada and the United States; they achieve this by using shorter summer breaks and decreasing students' overall vacation time. However, as a young Canadian-trained scientist I have concerns about the quality and number of opportunities for exposure to medical research available to students enrolled in the 3-year programs. If more Canadian medical schools decide to adopt a 3-year program, the resulting loss of long summer breaks and other interludes within the academic curriculum will mean that fewer physicians will have the chance to explore a possible career as a clinician–scientist during their medical education.

The value of a proper appreciation of scientific research has been recognized by top-ranked US medical schools such as the one at Duke University, which has made it mandatory for its medical students to undergo 1 year of research training. The importance of research and discovery should not be forgotten in the attempt to resolve the physician shortage in Canada.