The future physician: realistic expectations and curricular needs.

Medical education and practice have been changed markedly by the success of biomedical research in recent decades and by the increasing role of government in medicine. The future physician will require a strong background in the basic medical sciences as well as highly developed clinical skills. He will need the capacity to reason scientifically and rigorously in relation to clinical issues as well as new technologies. He will, in addition, have to provide the traditional human support functions of the clinician and help in the formulation and implementation of public policy as it relates to health. The medical schools' curricula need to be examined regarding these and other future needs of the graduates.