Device regulation in the European Union: Response from MHRA

摘要

In speaking on "Principles for the Development of a Complete Mind", Leonardo Da Vinci observed that to develop a complete mind one must "Study the science of art. Study the art of science. Develop your senses—especially learn how to see. Realise that everything connects to everything else." I have lived, studied, and worked in the UK and Ireland since 1994, yet I am still amazed that students go straight from secondary or high school into medical school. From that point on, the vast majority of what students learn and experience is specifictotheirtraining to be a doctor. Although students will have opportunities in most UK medical schools to select from a small range of humanities and arts modules for a semester or two, many will opt for a clinical module believing it will be more applicable and beneficial to their career and course of study. Many other countries in Europe and Asia also have similarly specialised undergraduate medical education with students entering directly from secondary education. In the USA, of course, things are very different. American doctors will have first obtained a Bachelor's degree, and as part of that degree, many will have completed mandatory liberal arts courses or modules in languages, literature, history, or philosophy, with the aim of developing students' intellectual breadth. By contrast, undergraduate medical education in the UK often does not allow for such breadth. My experience of teaching medical students, however, has led me to believe that the public, patients, and medical graduates would greatly benefit from a curriculum that included a greater focus on liberal arts.