Historical Turning Points in Medical Education

Understanding the historical turning points in medical education worldwide is essential for predicting the future of medical training. When we listen to the past, we can hear strong voices emphasizing that medicine is a field of scientific research and practice, that medical education should be conducted by authorized institutions, that practical training is a critical component that must not be neglected, that medical education should be carried out within certain standards, and that the importance of interdisciplinary integration and active learning cannot be overlooked. In our era, where access to information has become remarkably easy, schools are on the verge of losing their identity as places primarily for acquiring theoretical knowledge. Spending class time transmitting theoretical medical knowledge and repeatedly asking an instructor to present the same topic has become both inefficient and unreasonable. Medical schools that prioritize active learning strategies—such as problem-based learning and flipped classroom approaches—at the center of their curricula, delegate the acquisition of theoretical knowledge to students’ autonomous control while providing facilitation and guidance in resource access, and emphasize skills training, can be regarded as institutions effectively positioning themselves for future challenges by expanding and enriching the role of their learners.