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Medical education in South Korea includes educational activities involved in the education and training of medical doctors in the country, from entry-level training through to continuing education of qualified specialists.
On 29 February 1885, the first Western-style hospital in Korea was founded as a royal hospital named Gwanghyewon (광혜원) with the effort of Horace Newton Allen, a medical missionary of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. Twelve days later, Gojong of Korea renamed the hospital as Chejungwon (제중원), and in March 1886, sixteen men were selected as Chejungwon's first class of students to study medicine. Twelve of the sixteen students went on a regular medical course, but the education was stopped in around 1890 and no students became doctors. [1] In 1904, Chejungwon changed its name to Severance Hospital and added Severance Hospital Medical School and the attached School of Nursing. The first seven medical licences in Korean history were awarded to graduates of Severance Hospital Medical School on 3 June 1908. The school became Severance Union Medical School in 1913.
During Japanese colonial rule, in addition to Keijō Imperial University's medical department, seven medical speciality schools (医学専門学校, Igaku semmon gakkō) were accredited. These were Keijō Medical Speciality School, Keijō Women's Medical Speciality School, Severance Union Medical Speciality School (later named Asahi Medical Speciality School) in Keijō, Heijō Medical Speciality School in Heijō, Taikyū Medical Speciality School in Taikyū, Kōshū Medical Speciality School in Kōshū and Kankō Medical Speciality School in Kankō. These medical speciality schools were attended primarily by students from the mainland Japan. [2]
Following the independence of Korea and the Korean War, medical education in South Korea was influenced by American system.
As of 2023, medical education to become a professional medical doctor is offered by 40 universities. [3] The Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (의학사) degree is awarded after completion of six years. Medical students must pass the Korean National Medical Licensing Examination to obtain a medical licence. Universities also offer academic, research-oriented degrees including Master of Medicine (의학석사) and Doctor of Philosophy in Medicine (의학박사). A change in the system was under discussion from 1996, and the government started to name the programme professional graduate school of medicine. [4] As with any medical education, it was highly political to change the system, and in 2005, politicians passed a law to allot certain number of students to graduate programme without changing the entire medical student pool. By this change, 4+4-year system, such as those found in the United States and Canada, was introduced to the South Korean medical education. The degree granted is the Doctor of Medicine (의무석사), which has been sometimes translated as 'Master of Medicine' or 'Master of Medical Science'. [5] After roughly 10 years of systematic change, many schools deemed the professional graduate school of medicine was not successful. Financially, the programme at least incurred 1.5 times more tuition than going directly from high school. [6] Due to criticism, almost all of the professional graduate schools of medicine have reverted to six years long undergraduate medical education except one school, Cha University School of Medicine.
For international medical graduates to be eligible for licensure in South Korea, they must hold a medical degree from a school acknowledged by the Minister of Health and Welfare, and must pass Korean language proficiency tests and preliminary examination in addition to the national licensing examination. One-third of the international medical graduates who applied for the examinations succeeded in obtaining Korean medical licence as of 2023, and in the period between 2005 and 2023, the largest number of licensed international medical graduates came from schools in the United Kingdom, Paraguay and Hungary. [7] The Philippines had the highest number of graduates who passed the national licensing examination from 2001 to 2005, but the number dropped after a law change on July 7, 1994 that required candidates to obtain medical licences in countries where they have studied, [8] [9] and the Philippine medical licence is given only to the citizens of the Philippines. [10] In 2020, about 20% of the medical students at Semmelweis University and 15% of medical students at University of Szeged Faculty of Medicine were from South Korea. [11] In 2020, Samarkand State Medical University opened its department of pre-medicine in Seoul for Korean students. [12]
South Korea also practices traditional Korean medicine, which has an independent medical education system. Alternative medicine degrees such as the Doctor of Korean Medicine are regulated separately.
A registered nurse (RN) is a nurse who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized licensing body to obtain a nursing license. An RN's scope of practice is determined by legislation, and is regulated by a professional body or council.
Keijō Imperial University was an Imperial University in Keijō (Seoul), Korea, Empire of Japan that existed between 1924 and 1946.
A Doctor of Medicine is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. This generally arose because many in 18th-century medical professions trained in Scotland, which used the M.D. degree nomenclature. In England, however, Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (M.B.B.S.) was used: in the 19th century, it became the standard in Scotland too. Thus, in the United Kingdom, Ireland and other countries, the M.D. is a research doctorate, honorary doctorate or applied clinical degree restricted to those who already hold a professional degree (Bachelor's/Master's/Doctoral) in medicine. In those countries, the equivalent professional degree to the North American, and some others' usage of M.D. is still typically titled Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery.
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, Master of Medicine, Doctor of Medicine (MD), or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO). Many medical schools offer additional degrees, such as a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), master's degree (MSc) or other post-secondary education.
Yonsei University is a private Christian research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Yonsei is one of the prestigious group of three universities in the nation referred to as SKY universities.
A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradition. Despite the historical distinction in nomenclature, these degrees are typically combined and conferred together. This degree is usually awarded as an undergraduate degree, but it can also be awarded at graduate-level medical institutions. The typical duration for completion is five to six years.
Residency or postgraduate training is a stage of graduate medical education. It refers to a qualified physician, veterinarian, dentist, podiatrist (DPM) or pharmacist (PharmD) who practices medicine or surgery, veterinary medicine, dentistry, podiatry, or clinical pharmacy, respectively, usually in a hospital or clinic, under the direct or indirect supervision of a senior medical clinician registered in that specialty such as an attending physician or consultant.
A number of professional degrees in dentistry are offered by dental schools in various countries around the world.
SKY is an unofficial grouping and acronym for the three most prestigious and academically competitive universities located in Seoul, South Korea. It includes Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University.
A medicalintern is a physician in training who has completed medical school and has a medical degree, but does not yet have a license to practice medicine unsupervised. Medical education generally ends with a period of practical training similar to internship, but the way the overall program of academic and practical medical training is structured differs depending upon the country, as does the terminology used.
Veterinary education is the tertiary education of veterinarians. To become a veterinarian, one must first complete a degree in veterinary medicine Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.
Severance Hospital is a teaching hospital located in Sinchon-dong, Seodaemun District, South Korea. It is one of the oldest and biggest university hospitals in South Korea. It has 2,437 beds and treats approximately 2,500,000 outpatients and 840,000 inpatients annually.
Medical education in Philippines is principally offered and developed by accredited and government recognized medical schools in the country.
The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM) is a private, not-for-profit institution with two campus locations: the CCNM -Toronto Campus in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the CCNM -Boucher Campus in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada.
Medical education in France is administered by departments within universities called Unités de formation et de recherche de médecine (UFR). The training takes a minimum of ten years after the baccalauréat and concludes with the defence of a clinical thesis. Upon the successful presentation of their thesis, the medical student is awarded a diplôme d'études spécialisées (DES), based on their specialty. Certain high-achievers are awarded a diplôme d'études spécialisées complémentaire (DESC).
Nishtar Medical University is a public medical university located in Multan, Punjab, Pakistan. It is one of the oldest medical institutions established after the creation of Pakistan. It offers degree programs in medicine, dentistry, allied health sciences and nursing. It is named after Sardar Abdur Rub Nishtar, Pakistan movement leader, and then Governor of Punjab, Pakistan.
Chejungwon is a medical institution in Seoul, South Korea that is affiliated with the Yonsei University Health System. It was founded in 1885, and is considered the first Western medical institution in Korea. It became affiliated with Yonhee University, the predecessor to Yonsei University, in 1957.
The Triple Qualification (TQ) was a medical qualification awarded jointly by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow between 1884 and 1993. Successful candidates could register with the General Medical Council (GMC) and practise medicine in the United Kingdom. It was a route used by international medical graduates and those unable to gain entry to university medical schools, which included women in the late 19th century and refugee medical students and doctors throughout the 20th century.
Oliver R. Avison was a Canadian doctor, physician, humanitarian, missionary and professor, who spent over four decades spreading Western medical knowledge in Korea during the Kaehwagi or Enlightenment Period. Avison was recognized for founding and opening the Severance Hospital and the Severance Medical College in Seoul in 1904, two interlinked institutions that sought to treat the sick and expose the Korean natives to the practical teachings of Western medicinal sciences. Through fundraising efforts across North America prior to the opening, Avison received a series of donations from American philanthropist Louis H. Severance, the namesake for the teaching hospital.
The 2024 South Korean medical crisis is an ongoing healthcare crisis following the announcement of new government policies that would significantly increase medical student admission quotas. Thousands of residents and interns have since resigned, resulting in medical school professors working to cover. This forced non-urgent, less complicated patients to no longer be treated at tertiary care facilities, leading to financial concerns at large university hospitals. There has been anxiety about timely treatment. The South Korean government labeled medical professionals' advocacy as "illegal collective actions," declaring a healthcare crisis. It launched a pro-government campaigns villainizing doctors as a self-serving cartel. This confrontational approach, reinforced by the President, undermined trust and collaboration in healthcare reform.