1. Parallel running of multiple medical education mechanisms
The basic path of medical education is clear in China, but there are multiple ways to complete clinical medical education (3-year, 5-year, “5+3” integration, 8-year) [6].With the strengthening of coordination and cooperation between education and healthcare facilities, China has gradually established a standardized medical personnel training system that bridges college education and post-graduation education. College education is a prerequisite for applying to practice medicine[6]. There are two stages of post-graduation education: the first stage is residency training, which is now mandatory[7]; The second stage is specialist physician training, which has not yet been fully implemented. Figure 2 shows the main pathways to main ways to complete medical education in China.
Postgraduate degrees in China are divided into professional degrees and academic degrees. The professional postgraduate focuses on the development of clinical skills during the 3 years of study. A professional degree master’s graduate certificate, degree certificate, physician qualification certificate and standardized training completion certificate are awarded after successful graduation [8]. It is allowed to apply for a professional doctoral education in following days. Academic postgraduates receive 3 years of scientific research training and award academic degree master’s graduate certificate and degree certificate after publication in peer-reviewed national or international journals. After a further 3 years of standardized residency training and physician qualification examinations, the academic master is eligible to conduct clinical activities in the hospital. Continuing academic doctoral education is also an option for academic masters. Medical graduates with an academic degree tend to pursue medical research in the future [6].