Medical education in France
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Medical education in France is administered by the Unités de formation et de recherche de médecine (UFR) (formation and medical research Units). The training takes a minimum of nine years after the
baccalauréat The ''baccalauréat'' (; ), often known in France colloquially as the ''bac'', is a French national academic qualification that students can obtain at the completion of their secondary education (at the end of the ''lycée'') by meeting certain ...
and concludes with a 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). French medical training is one of the longest schooling paths in French higher education. It consists of both theoretical and practical training, with a gradual shift from theory at the beginning, to more practical aspects as training progresses. Medical students in France are traditionally known as '' carabin'' (riflemen) because the uniforms of military medical students resemble those of Italian riflemen.


History


18th century

Under the
Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...
, medicine was one of four faculties and generally only accessible through the Faculté des Arts de Paris. Teaching was mostly theoretical and involved lectures and readings from authorities. Practical components were gradually introduced in the 18th century. Until the
French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
in 1789, doctors and
surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...
s were considered to be separate professions. Surgeons were known as
barber surgeon The barber surgeon, one of the most common European medical practitioners of the Middle Ages, was generally charged with caring for soldiers during and after battle. In this era, surgery was seldom conducted by physicians, but instead by barbers ...
s. The
university system A university system is a set of multiple affiliated universities and colleges that are usually geographically distributed. Typically, all member universities in a university system share a common component among all of their various names. Usually, ...
was abolished in 1793 and replaced the following year by four medical schools in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
,
Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
,
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
and
Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
. With the creation of the Imperial University in 1808, medical schools reopened their faculties and expanded across France.


19th century

In the 19th century, new practical training schools were established in response to the rapid technical evolution of medicine and the mediocrity of university theoretical teaching. Acceptance into these practical training programs was restricted and highly sought after, as hospitals were synonymous with the elite. Medical students began neglecting their faculty examinations to prepare for these practical training entrance examinations and it was possible that upon completing their studies, they had not seen a single patient.


20th century

Hospital reforms in 1958 merged the teaching functions of hospitals and universities, creating the position of University Professor and Hospital Practitioner (Professeur des universités – Praticien hospitalier, PUPH). One goal of the reforms was to reduce the number of graduates moving to private practice. Following the events of the May 1968 protests in France, practical training entrance restrictions were removed: all medical students received practical training. Practical and theoretical training were finally combined into a single course, based on the 1958 ideal of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire. Following the Faure reform, medical colleges were integrated into universities as UER (from 1984, research and teaching centres "UFR"). This reform, along with the general population increase, led to a large surge in student numbers. In 1971 this resulted in a fixed number of training places in exams at the end of the first year of medical studies. Until the 1990s, any doctor could become a specialist, either by taking the selective hospital residential pathway, or by taking the open access university pathway resulting in a lower-status certificate of specialized studies (THESE). The result was a two-speed medical system, divided between THESE graduates and “former interns” and “former senior hospital registrars”. A reform dropped the THESE medical certificates, returning to obligatory internships for the “ordinal qualification” specialists, through diplomas of specialized studies (OF) to supplement the diploma of Doctor of Medicine. Interns were required to spend part of their training in a non-academic “peripheral hospital” belonging to a regional hospital centre (CHR).


Recent changes

Until 2004, future general practitioners did not take entrance exams for internships. Their second cycle was followed by a two and a half year “résidanat” (three years for residents starting in or after 2001). In 2004, a new reform was applied, stating that all medical students must pass the national classifying examination. The résidanat was replaced with an internship in general medicine, helping to raise the status of general practice as a profession. Since the 2010 academic year, the medical first year course was organized as common first year of healthcare studies with
pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...
,
dentistry Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions o ...
and
midwifery Midwifery is the health science and health profession that deals with pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period (including care of the newborn), in addition to the sexual and reproductive health of women throughout their lives. In many cou ...
. This year was commonly viewed as "very difficult". This system changed in 2019 via a major reform into a hybrid model. On the one hand, students can still access a second year in healthcare studies via a modified version of the traditional first year model (''parcours accès santé'' - PASS). In doing so, they have to choose a minor in another subject in which they can continue, should they fail the selection process into the second year. On the other hand, universities now offer undergraduate degrees (''licence accès santé'' - LAS) in many subjects that include a minor in healthcare, allowing them to take the selective exams that grant access to the second year of healthcare studies.


Organization

Medical studies proceed in three cycles within a university having a unit of "formation" and
medical research Medical research (or biomedical research), also known as experimental medicine, encompasses a wide array of research, extending from "basic research" (also called ''bench science'' or ''bench research''), – involving fundamental scientif ...
(sometimes a combination of medicine and
pharmacology Pharmacology is a branch of medicine, biology and pharmaceutical sciences concerned with drug or medication action, where a drug may be defined as any artificial, natural, or endogenous (from within the body) molecule which exerts a biochemica ...
), associated with one of the 29 university hospitals. Their total duration varies from nine years (general medicine) to 12 years (another speciality plus a sub-speciality).


First cycle of medical studies

The first cycle of medical studies (in summary PCEM) takes two years, with a "concours" (competitive final exam) at the end of the first year selecting students admitted to continue medical or dental studies. National law specifies that the instruction of the first cycle and the first year of the second cycle must include the following disciplines or disciplinary units: *
physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
,
biophysics Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that applies approaches and methods traditionally used in physics to study biological phenomena. Biophysics covers all scales of biological organization, from molecular to organismic and populations. ...
, and image processing; *
chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...
,
biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...
,
cellular Cellular may refer to: *Cellular automaton, a model in discrete mathematics * Cell biology, the evaluation of cells work and more * ''Cellular'' (film), a 2004 movie *Cellular frequencies, assigned to networks operating in cellular RF bands *Cell ...
, and
molecular biology Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physi ...
; *
anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...
,
embryology Embryology (from Greek ἔμβρυον, ''embryon'', "the unborn, embryo"; and -λογία, '' -logia'') is the branch of animal biology that studies the prenatal development of gametes (sex cells), fertilization, and development of embryos and ...
, developmental, and reproductive biology; *
cytology Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living and ...
,
histology Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology which studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at larger structures vis ...
, and pathological anatomy; *
bacteriology Bacteriology is the branch and specialty of biology that studies the morphology, ecology, genetics and biochemistry of bacteria as well as many other aspects related to them. This subdivision of microbiology involves the identification, classificat ...
,
virology Virology is the Scientific method, scientific study of biological viruses. It is a subfield of microbiology that focuses on their detection, structure, classification and evolution, their methods of infection and exploitation of host (biology), ...
, and
parasitology Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question but by their way of life. This means it fo ...
; *fundamental
hematology Hematology ( always spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to blood. It involves treating diseases that affect the produc ...
,
immunology Immunology is a branch of medicineImmunology for Medical Students, Roderick Nairn, Matthew Helbert, Mosby, 2007 and biology that covers the medical study of immune systems in humans, animals, plants and sapient species. In such we can see there ...
, and
oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...
; *
genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...
and biotechnologies; *
physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...
and
nutrition Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients, which can be metabolized to create energy and chemical structures. Failure to obtain sufficient n ...
; *
pharmacology Pharmacology is a branch of medicine, biology and pharmaceutical sciences concerned with drug or medication action, where a drug may be defined as any artificial, natural, or endogenous (from within the body) molecule which exerts a biochemica ...
and major classes of
drugs A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalat ...
; *
epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...
and
biostatistics Biostatistics (also known as biometry) are the development and application of statistical methods to a wide range of topics in biology. It encompasses the design of biological experiments, the collection and analysis of data from those experime ...
; *clinical and biological
semiotics Semiotics (also called semiotic studies) is the systematic study of sign processes ( semiosis) and meaning making. Semiosis is any activity, conduct, or process that involves signs, where a sign is defined as anything that communicates something ...
and medical imagery terminology; *
first aid First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with either a minor or serious illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery. It includes initial in ...
; *
demography Demography () is the statistics, statistical study of populations, especially human beings. Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and Population dynamics, dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups ...
,
health economics Health economics is a branch of economics concerned with issues related to efficiency, effectiveness, value and behavior in the production and consumption of health and healthcare. Health economics is important in determining how to improv ...
, and
health system Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...
s. Teaching must also include
foreign languages A foreign language is a language that is not an official language of, nor typically spoken in, a given country, and that native speakers from that country must usually acquire through conscious learning - be this through language lessons at school ...
,
epistemology Epistemology (; ), or the theory of knowledge, is the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. Epistemology is considered a major subfield of philosophy, along with other major subfields such as ethics, logic, and metaphysics. Episte ...
,
psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...
,
medical ethics Medical ethics is an applied branch of ethics which analyzes the practice of clinical medicine and related scientific research. Medical ethics is based on a set of values that professionals can refer to in the case of any confusion or conflict. T ...
and
deontology In moral philosophy, deontological ethics or deontology (from Greek: + ) is the normative ethical theory that the morality of an action should be based on whether that action itself is right or wrong under a series of rules and principles, ra ...
.


First year (until 2009)

The first year academic cycle for medical students is common with
dentistry Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions o ...
and midwifery. Requirements during the first year include:
physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
,
biophysics Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that applies approaches and methods traditionally used in physics to study biological phenomena. Biophysics covers all scales of biological organization, from molecular to organismic and populations. ...
,
chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...
,
biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...
and
molecular biology Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physi ...
,
cellular biology Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living and ...
,
physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...
,
anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...
,
histology Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology which studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at larger structures vis ...
, and
embryology Embryology (from Greek ἔμβρυον, ''embryon'', "the unborn, embryo"; and -λογία, '' -logia'') is the branch of animal biology that studies the prenatal development of gametes (sex cells), fertilization, and development of embryos and ...
.


First year (since 2010)

The first year of the studies of health (ex-PACES, currently calle
PASS
is common to the medical studies, dental, pharmaceutical and midwife (sometimes also kinesitherapy). It is divided into two six-month periods. To be allowed to be registered in first year of the studies of health, the candidates must have one of the following qualifications: *a
baccalaureate Baccalaureate may refer to: * ''Baccalauréat'', a French national academic qualification * Bachelor's degree, or baccalaureate, an undergraduate academic degree * English Baccalaureate, a performance measure to assess secondary schools in England ...
degree; *a diploma of "access to academic works"; *a French diploma or foreign diploma that can be considered equivalent to the baccalaureat pursuant to the national regulation; *a qualification or an achievement considered to be sufficient. As for any formation of system LMD, the year is divided in two six-month periods and “units of teaching” (EU) which are seen allotting a certain number of appropriations ECTS. In first half of the year, the lesson is common to all the fields. Tests are organized at the end of this one; the badly classified students can be reorientated in other university fields. With the second half-year, the students choose one or of the EU specific (S) to a field, in addition to the common formation. The students pass a competition at the end of the year leading to four classifications. The first year may only be repeated once. The grade is final if the student fails to pass twice.


Second year

The second year (in summary PCEM 2 or P2) begins with four weeks of obligatory and non-remunerated nurse placement. It takes place during the holidays preceding the re-entry by the students admitted in second year of medicine or odontology. Lastly, a more medical matter, the
semiotics Semiotics (also called semiotic studies) is the systematic study of sign processes ( semiosis) and meaning making. Semiosis is any activity, conduct, or process that involves signs, where a sign is defined as anything that communicates something ...
, traditionally taught in third year, is at the present time transferred in second year in most universities, in order to improve the range of the clinical training courses of second and third years (usually called “training courses of checklist” or “training course of semiotics”). The first cycle of the medical studies follows a national plan, but the organization between the two years varies between the universities. In the same way, there exist three types of teaching: *linear teaching: each matter is taught separately (anatomy, histology, biophysics, etc.). This type of teaching does not require great coordination between the professors, but it can lead to great redundancies, even with contradictions. *integrated teaching: the students have modules gathering of the lesson of various disciplines around the same apparatus. For example, a module of
neurosciences Neuroscience is the science, scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a Multidisciplinary approach, multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, an ...
includes/understands the anatomy and the histology of the
nervous system In biology, the nervous system is the highly complex part of an animal that coordinates its actions and sensory information by transmitting signals to and from different parts of its body. The nervous system detects environmental changes th ...
, sensory biophysics and the neurobiochimy. The student follows then a cardiopulmonary module, a digestive module, etc. *coeducation: certain aspects are presented in integrated teaching, others in linear teaching.


Second cycle of medical studies

In four years, the student receives a formal and practical training on the various pathologies segmented in modules: transverse modules (more or less interdisciplinary) or modules of body. These modules are the classifying official program of the national examination (see low), and include a numbered list of items which correspond either to pathologies, or with clinical or therapeutic situations.


Third year of medicine

The third year of medicine (in summary DCEM 1 or D1) is a year of transition where the student learns bioclinical sciences (pharmacology,
bacteriology Bacteriology is the branch and specialty of biology that studies the morphology, ecology, genetics and biochemistry of bacteria as well as many other aspects related to them. This subdivision of microbiology involves the identification, classificat ...
,
virology Virology is the Scientific method, scientific study of biological viruses. It is a subfield of microbiology that focuses on their detection, structure, classification and evolution, their methods of infection and exploitation of host (biology), ...
,
parasitology Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question but by their way of life. This means it fo ...
, etc.) which make the interface between fundamental sciences of the first cycle and lesson of
pathology Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...
. They also learn how to carry out the anamnèse (medical history) and the
clinical examination In a physical examination, medical examination, or clinical examination, a medical practitioner examines a patient for any possible medical signs or symptoms of a medical condition. It generally consists of a series of questions about the patient ...
of a patient at the time of their clinical training courses (called “training courses of checklists”, because the clinical examination linear and is structured, with boxes which one notches) associated with teaching with semiology. They start with the first modules. Certain universities start the hospital training courses in third year, the clinical training course of second year is then developed further. This year is particularly compatible with Erasmus exchanges.


Externship

The three following years constitute the “externat”. This term of everyday usage (which is a survival of the old contest of the externat removed following the demonstrations of 1968) does not officially exist. The official texts and the internal texts of the CHU and the universities speak about “hospital students”, because the students are remunerated by the hospital complex to which the university is attached. They are paid under limited time contract, attached to a social security office. The student, under the responsibility for an intern (nonofficial) or of a senior (senior registrar or hospital practitioner), learn how to recognize the various signs of a
disease A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...
. The student at this stage does not have therapeutic responsibility, nor the right to prescribe. The student is however responsible for his acts (civil responsibility, which requires the subscription of a suitable insurance). The externat generally consists of four training courses per year, three months in each specialty service, chosen by grids at the beginning of each year or quarter, either by classification with the merit, or by alphabetical classification. The training courses consist of five mornings per week in the services. Certain training courses are obligatory from the statutory texts (
pediatrics Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until th ...
,
obstetric Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgic ...
gynaecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined are ...
surgery, internal medicine and
emergency medicine Emergency medicine is the medical speciality concerned with the care of illnesses or injuries requiring immediate medical attention. Emergency physicians (often called “ER doctors” in the United States) continuously learn to care for unsche ...
.), and can then integrate theoretical teaching (the student is present at the hospital all the day). Conversely, certain services do not have the external ones, that depends on the agreements made with the university. Certain universities replaced the half-time (mornings) permanent by one full-time by alternation: the external ones are then present all the day but only 6 weeks over 3 months, the 6 remaining weeks being devoted to the lesson, the examinations, the preparation of the ECN… During the externat, lecturing, is replaced more and more by directed work; the lectures are held in alternation with hospital training courses: this teaching is that of a true trade-guild, where the external one approaches by “clinical cases” of true situations lived in the services. The external one must, during its three years of externat, to carry out 36 sessions of 12, 18, or 24 hours (according to the service and the day of the week), that is to say approximately a session per month, remunerated 26 euros rough. The remuneration of the training courses is as for it “symbolic system” (approximate remuneration: 122 euros per month in fourth year, 237 euros in fifth year, 265 euros in sixth year), but the external student has the statute of a paid worker and contributes to the paid mode of social security, and the pension fund. The pension fund complementary to external is the IRCANTEC, as it is the case for the interns and the hospital practitioners. The external ones, like any employee, have five weeks of paid vacations. Since 2004, the second cycle of the medical studies is sanctioned by a diploma (recognized in the European Union). Module 11 of the second cycle is the old certificate of clinical and therapeutic, essential synthesis to replace a general doctor.


Third cycle of the medical studies

Students able to reach the third cycle of medical studies (TCEM): *have completed the second cycle of the medical studies in France; *are amenable to the European state or Community,
Swiss Confederation ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, Principality Member States of Andorra left to the agreement on
European Economic Area The European Economic Area (EEA) was established via the ''Agreement on the European Economic Area'', an international agreement which enables the extension of the European Union's single market to member states of the European Free Trade Ass ...
, others that France, holders of a diploma of end of second cycle of the medical studies or of an equivalent title from one of these states.


Classifying national tests

Tests are organized for the candidates quoted above. According to its classification, the student chooses his university hospital (and thus the city) of assignment. This choice is carried out initially by
Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
(phase of pre-choice and simulations), the final choice taking place during a “amphitheatre of garrison” which brings together all the students by sections of classification. This procedure makes it possible the student to choose his station by being informed fully of the places available. The 11 existing fields in 2008 are, with the number of places available, or 5704 places on the whole: * General medicine: 3200 stations *
Medical specialties A medical specialty is a branch of medical practice that is focused on a defined group of patients, diseases, skills, or philosophy. Examples include those branches of medicine that deal exclusively with children (paediatrics), cancer (oncology), ...
: 885 stations *
Surgical specialties Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...
: 550 stations *
Psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry. Initial psych ...
: 280 stations *Anaesthesia-reanimation: 260 stations *
Pediatric Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...
: 200 stations *Gynecology-obstetrics: 155 stations *
Public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...
: 60 stations *
Medical biology Medical biology is a field of biology that has practical applications in medicine, health care and laboratory diagnostics. It includes many biomedical disciplines and areas of specialty that typically contains the "bio-" prefix such as: * molecul ...
: 40 stations *
Occupational medicine Occupational medicine, until 1960 called industrial medicine, is the branch of medicine which is concerned with the maintenance of health in the workplace, including prevention and treatment of diseases and injuries, with secondary objectives ...
: 54 stations *Medical gynaecology: 20 stations In 2005, a thousand places were not filled, certain students preferring to retry rather than to choose a speciality by default.


Hospital training

Although they have the statute of student and a supervision, an intern is an autonomous professional, since they can prescribe and carry out replacements in liberal cabinets (provided they have on validated a certain number of six-month periods, and obtained a “licence of replacement” from the departmental council of doctors). They act more than one initial track records that real studies (more especially as France is one of the rare countries to regard the interns as students). They are paid employees. Training in general medicine lasts three years, and is validated when all the six month training courses necessary have been carried out (diploma of specialized studies of general medicine) and it is followed by submitting a medical thesis. It consists of six month training courses during which time they are remunerated, associated with a hospital, but also associated with a general doctor, or of an extra-hospital structure of care. The student takes complete charge of their patients, but still under the responsibility of a “senior” (see supra): this includes clinical examination, regulation of complementary examinations and treatment. Teaching is primarily practical at this stage. Speciality training lasts four years or more. Depending on the speciality chosen, the student must take a minimum number of training courses in hospital services where their role is similar to the paid trainees in general medicine described above. The training is complete when the candidate has done each of the mandatory six month training courses. It also requires a medical thesis generally relating to a topic of the chosen speciality, generally in the last year of training . The speciality is sanctioned by the diploma of specialized studies, after defence of a report, which is sometimes confused with the thesis (thesis-report, when this one is constant in the last year of training and relates to a subject of the speciality). The diploma of State of doctor of medicine is conferred after defence successfully thesis of exercise.


Registrarship and assistantship

For certain specialities, in particular surgery, additional training is required: either at a university clinic for two to four years, or a specialty assistantship for at least 1 year. The total training for these specialities therefore ranges from 12 to 15 years.


See also

* French education system, Higher learning in France, University in France * General medicine *
Medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...
* Medical education by country category *
Medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or 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 (MBBS, M ...
*
Physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...


References


Bibliography

*{{cite book, last1=Mattei, first1=Jean-François, last2=Étienne, first2=Jean-Claude, last3=Chabot, first3=Jean-Michel, title=De la médecine à la santé : Pour une réforme des études médicales et la création d'universités de la santé, trans-title=From medicine to health: A reform of medical studies and the creation of universities of health, publisher=Flammarion, location=Paris, year=1997, isbn=2-08-201634-X, language=fr, author-link1=Jean-François Mattei, author-link2=Jean-Claude Étienne Educational institutions in France Higher education in France Universities and colleges in France