Medical Education in Russia.

There is a great number of medical schools in Russia. Applicants have to pass 3 entrance exams to get into medical school. Usually they are chemistry, biology and Russian literature.

The entrance exams take place over 10 days in July. Students who fail at these exams can reapply the next year.

Medical education takes 6 years in Russia. The first two years are pre-clinical – students study anatomy, physiology, physics, histology and also philosophy.

The third year is a transitional year between the pre-clinical and clinical years. Students learn pathology, pharmacology, general surgery and general medicine.

The fourth and the fifth years are clinical. After a fourth year students have a practical course lasting 8 weeks. They work as doctors’ assistants at the therapeutical, surgical, obstetric and gynecological and other departments. After the fifth year they take a six-week course in out-patients’ clinics.

In the sixth year students work on chosen specialization.

Upon completion of the sixth year, having passed state exams, graduates get a diploma. After one year internship they receive a certificate of specialization.

Saratov state medical university.

Our medical university is old. It was founded in 1909. The founder and the first rector was professor V. Razumovsky, an outstanding surgeon.

In 1909, 93 students were admitted to the University. Only men were allowed to study. Several departments in the basic sciences were opened at that time: Physiology, Chemistry, General and Operative Surgery, Histology, Forensic Medicine and others.

In 1930 the university was reorganized. An independent medical institute was formed. There were 3 faculties at the institute: Medical, Sanitary-Prophylactic and Care of Mother and Child.

Since 1993 the institute is the university again. Now there are 6 faculties. They are faculty of medicine, faculty of pediatrics, faculty of dentistry, faculty of nursing, faculty of preventive medicine and pharmaceutical faculty.

I am a student of the pediatric faculty. At our faculty the course of studies lasts for 6 years and consists of pre-clinical, transitional and clinical periods. At the end of the 6^th year students have state exams, receive their diploma and apply for internship.

Medical Education in England.

Two kinds of medical establishments train doctors in great Britain: medical faculties of the Universities and higher medical schools. 14% of them are private schools.

To enter medical higher school applicants take 5-6 entrance exams: in English, in Foreign language, in Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics.

The course of study lasts for 8 years. Each school has its own curriculum which includes compulsory and non-compulsory subjects. Compulsory subjects are Biology, Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry and others. Non-compulsory subjects are Biophysics, Physics, Social Health Protection and so on.

A 5-year curriculum consists of four periods: premedical, pre-clinical, introductory clinical and clinical. The premedical period (the first year) deals with Chemistry, Physics, Biology. The pre-clinical period includes such subjects as Anatomy, Histology, Organic Chemistry and others. During premedical and pre-clinical periods students study compulsory and non-compulsory subjects. During the introductory clinical and clinical periods they study only compulsory subjects. They learn the methods of clinical examination of the patient, history taking, nursing, clinical service.

After graduation from a higher school young specialists must take a one year internship before they begin to work as doctors.