The present state of medical education in Chile and relevant international approaches

Abstract

This narrative review pretends to examine the issues that place the Chilean medical education system in a historical moment of uncertainty, which is framed in the political and social changes that have occurred in the past 20 years. Databases Scielo and PubMed; the references of the studies identified as relevant; laws of the Chilean Republic; web pages of agencies for accreditation and certification of medical specialties and of some countries’ Ministries of Health, were checked. Relevant information in two areas was compiled: undergraduate medical education and teaching of medical specialties. In the first, the chronological evolution of the number of Medical Schools and their vacancies is described, as well as the number of physicians in Chile, the standing legislature, the current accreditation status of Schools, and some international experiences in licensing and accreditation. In the second area, characteristics of medical specialties education in Chile and some international experiences are described. Medical education in Chile requires deep changes to protect the qualification of the present and future physicians for the country. Furthermore, modifications are needed to generate a more fair system for the under and postgraduate students. Therefore, proposals such as mandatory licensing for the Schools, expansions of the sanctions for the Schools that don’t achieve standards for accreditation, and the creation of a “National Medical Specialist Education Plan”, are given.