The future of UK medical education curriculum - what type of medical graduates do we need?

Many of the issues faced by undergraduate medical students and those planning their curriculum are not new. William Osler, Abraham Flexner and the General Medical Council have in turn made significant contributions to shaping today's UK undergraduate medical curriculum. It is anticipated that the reports from Robert Francis, Don Berwick and the Future Hospitals Commission about patient safety and quality of care will inform future planning. An increasing curriculum challenge is the achievement of an appropriate balance between biomedical and behavioural sciences in the context of progressive advances in basic and clinical science and increasing professional scrutiny. This requires agreement about the clinical knowledge and skills necessary at the time of registration, and true recognition of the continuum of learning from medical school to the time of retirement. The GMC's Tomorrow's Doctors defines outcomes from undergraduate medical training; this paper identifies 10 principles for curriculum planning to link theoretical educational concepts to practical clinical implementation. Such principles recognise the importance of reducing the burden of learning for an undergraduate student while reinforcing the relevance of generic clinical skills for competent and safe practice.