Some Aspects of Medical Education in Russia

Some aspects of medical education in Russia are discussed in this report. After the 6-year undergraduate education, a 2-year postgraduate program without a preceding internship is the usual way to become a medical specialist. Besides, the specialist certificates can be obtained after a 1-year internship. Shortages of education, limited availability of foreign professional literature and partial isolation of Russian medicine from the rest of the world contributed to persistence of outdated methods. At the same time, limited access to the international literature has been compensated by domestic editions, which often are scarcely illustrated, contain outdated information, while borrowings from foreign sources sometimes harbor mistranslations leading to a loss or distortion of the original meaning. For elimination of the shortages, more international cooperation is needed, which necessitates more mutual trust. Without profound restructuring, the current system of postgraduate training in Russia can be adapted to the international standards if its components (internship, 2-and 3-year postgraduate programs), would be transformed into consecutive steps. Curricula should be modernized and include more rotation. With time, the above-named components of the postgraduate training can be amalgamated in a unified system.