Medical education, Maastricht and the future.

Undergraduate medical education is in need of revision: the curriculum is overloaded, teaching methods do not equip students for a career of learning, and the examination system should be redirected to help students learn more effectively rather than act as a barrier to progress. New medical schools such as the University of Limburg at Maastricht have pioneered an exciting and innovative system of medical education which offer a vision of some of the changes we may expect in the future. There is a quiet revolution in medical education which, although led by educationalists, is driven by changes in hospital practice and economic necessity.