After years of inertia, it appears that the whole area of medical education in this State is about to be transformed. The recommendations of the landmark Fottrell report two years ago are helping to shape a new approach. The "cap" on training places has been lifted and the number of such places greatly expanded. And later this month, new programmes in graduate medical education will begin at the University of Limerick and the Royal College of Surgeons.
Minister for Education Mary Hanafin wants to accompany this with a parallel plan to transform medical education at undergraduate level. She wants entry to each of the five medical schools to be based on a combination of an admission test and Leaving Cert results. Her starting point is the belief that one should not need a perfect Leaving Cert to be a good doctor. To this end, she says students should get no additional credit if they score over 550 CAO points, the equivalent of 6 A grades in the Leaving Cert exams.
On the basis of a report from admissions officers detailed in this newspaper today, the universities appear cool about her plan. Excellence, they say, should be recognised "where it has been achieved". They also caution that Ms Hanafin - in proposing revised entry requirements - is straying into an area which is the natural domain of the academic council in each college. On behalf of the Irish Universities Medical Consortium, the admissions officers raise concerns in terms of equity, access, transparency and public confidence which might arise from any system where the Leaving Cert is no longer the sole criterion. But the Minister moved yesterday to assuage such concerns: the admission test used would be based on international best practice; there is no question of using interviews or other subjective means to select candidates and the medical profession would continue to draw the best and the brightest.
There are clear merits to the approach being advocated by Ms Hanafin. It would give very bright students (the elite group securing in excess of 480 points) an opportunity to apply for a place in medical school and replace a system where the bulk of them are effectively locked out - even when they have secured outstanding Leaving Cert results. Yes, it is good that trainee doctors should meet rigorous academic standards. But can any fair-minded person argue that opening entry to those between 480 and 550 CAO points involves dumbing down?
The Minister deserves credit for her proposals. She is attempting to address the last vestiges of the discredited points race which has ended for all but the so called "blue-chip" courses in medicine and related areas. The hope must be that the Hanafin plan for undergraduate medicine will serve as a template for reform in other high points areas like veterinary, pharmacy and dentistry. There is no sensible reason why dedicated, outstanding students should be denied an opportunity to compete for places on these courses.