A proposal for extending the national exam has been made, but universities say “it’s useless if students don’t return.” It has been reported that universities are considering online classes and additional summer sessions to prevent a mass drop-out of medical students who left school in protest of the increase in medical school admissions. Some universities have proposed postponing the national medical licensing exam.
According to education sources on the 12th, 40 universities across the country that operate medical schools have submitted plans to the Ministry of Education regarding academic operations in response to the conflict over medical school admissions. The Ministry of Education requested action plans on △flexible academic operations △measures related to managing first-year medical students △clinical practice class operation measures △evaluation and response in situations requiring collective behavior. This can be seen as universities preparing for how to prevent mass dropouts of medical students.
Some universities are considering introducing an intensive course system. This involves reducing the number of days of classes while meeting the minimum requirement of “at least 15 hours per credit hour” each semester. By applying this intensively, classes could be completed within 15 days instead of 15 weeks. Extending the duration of the semester is also being discussed, with suggestions to extend classes from Monday to Saturday and even hold nighttime lectures. Some schools are planning to expand the credits available for summer sessions.
There is also a proposal to be more flexible with attendance. Most medical schools currently conduct online classes, and instead of checking attendance daily, they are proposing to only check on the last day of the academic schedule. This means that as long as students attend classes until the end of the semester, even if they didn’t attend regularly before, it will be acknowledged. It seems that not many schools are pushing for a switch from a semester system to a year system.
It was reported that some universities, including Kyungpook National University, have requested the government to consider postponing the schedule for the national medical licensing exam. This is because there may be students who cannot fulfill the clinical practice hours (total of 52 weeks with more than 36 hours per week) required for medical education accreditation before the application deadline for the exam. If students cannot take the exam, it could lead to a unprecedented situation next year where not a single doctor is produced.
A university official stated, “Even if universities come up with measures, it’s meaningless if students don’t return,” and emphasized the need for dialogue to resolve the conflict over medical school admissions.