Medical students give basic science a miss

The survey showed that only 2 percent of about 12,000 medical students preferred basic science as a specialty. / Yonhap

Hong Dam-young

A growing number of medical students in Korea are shunning basic science, while clinical medicine enjoys widespread popularity.

Often referred to as fundamental for medical students, basic science has provided the foundation of knowledge for medical science and encompasses disciplines such as anatomy, physiology and histology.

Experts believe that in-depth research and development underlies breakthroughs in academic and clinical medical sciences in Korea.

But the field has long been suffering from, if not exactly drying up, a shortage of researchers and interests.

And the same pattern is being shown among medical students, according to Yonhap news agency.

Recent data revealed that basic science was the least preferred as a specialty for medical students, while internal medicine was most popular, according to a 2013 survey by the Department of Health Policy and Management at Seoul National University College of Medicine.

The survey asked about 12,000 students from medical schools across the country about their preferred specialty.

Only 2 percent chose basic science, while 68 percent preferred internal medicine and 30 percent general surgery.

This means that only two out of every 100 students will pursue basic science as a major.

Among those who chose basic science, students from medical colleges preferred the field about 1.6 times more than medical graduate school students.

The result defies the goal of medical graduate schools, which colleges introduced in 2004 to encourage medical experts in various fields, including basic science.

The schools have been accepting a wide range of graduates, even those who did not go to a medical college.

“The imbalance of supply and demand in medical specialties is most apparent between basic science and general surgery,” said Prof. Lee Jin-suk, who led the survey team.

“Medical students are avoiding basic science as their specialty because it is less lucrative than clinical subjects.

“It will be hard to raise students’ interest in the field unless there is a change in this kind of setting.”

Prof. Lee suggested that the curriculum in medical schools should be revised as a way to boost interest.

“Students usually learn basic science in lower years as a basic course, which is why the interest in the field wanes in the upper years."

“Medical schools should offer an opportunity for senior students to re-encounter basic science by revamping the curriculum.”