Psychiatry: A core curriculum for undergraduate medical students

Abstract

There is a growing pressure on universities to review their curriculum for undergraduate medical students in the light of the new General Medical Council (GMC) Education Committee recommendations (1993). One major recommendation was for universities to develop a 'core curriculum' for every medical discipline. In psychiatry, the curriculum for undergraduate medical students has always varied between universities. We propose a broad design of a core curriculum that consists of eight modules covering what is considered vital to the subject and relevant to the student's future medical practice. The curriculum is designed to be taught in pre-clinical as well as clinical years in an attempt to achieve full integration and aspires to succeed in eliminating this traditional divide.