Physicians play a central role in the fields of medical service, research, and industry, so it is imperative to produce well-qualified doctors. Medicine is composed of science and arts, both necessary for its practice, and thus, the education outcomes in basic medical education in a medical school include basic biomedical sciences, social sciences and clinical sciences. Adequate science competencies create a deeper and better understanding of scientific knowledge, concepts, and methods fundamental to clinical science, and contribute to the scientific, technological, and clinical developments. The science competencies are primarily obtained by studying basic medicine in basic medical education, which has been criticized for failing to do so sufficiently in Korea. The failure is attributed to insufficient education time, teachers, and budgets, but the most critical factor is the lack of awareness regarding the importance of the science competencies of the physicians. Such ignorance also affects the Korean Medical Licensing Examination (KMLE). The KMLE tests competency in clinical sciences, preventive medicine, and medical laws, but not in basic biomedical sciences, which might result in insufficient science competency of the physicians and a decrease in the overall quality of the medical health service. Tests must be urgently introduced in KMLE on the competencies of basic biomedical sciences to improve the science competency of the physicians. The representative organizations of the medical society should take vigorous actions for the introduction of the basic medicine examination in KMLE.
Budgets ; Education ; Education, Medical ; Fibrinogen ; Health Services ; Jurisprudence ; Korea ; Licensure ; Preventive Medicine ; Schools, Medical ; Social Sciences ; Societies, Medical

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), a medical thesaurus created by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), is a useful resource for natural language processing (NLP). In this article, the current status of the Japanese version of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is reviewed. Online investigation found that Japanese-English dictionaries, which assign MeSH information to applicable terms, but use them for NLP, were found to be difficult to access, due to license restrictions. Here, we investigate an open-source Japanese-English glossary as an alternative method for assigning MeSH IDs to Japanese terms, to obtain preliminary data for NLP proof-of-concept.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Humans ; Licensure ; Medical Subject Headings ; Methods ; National Library of Medicine (U.S.) ; Natural Language Processing ; Vocabulary, Controlled

This study aimed to suggest the justification for a self-regulatory body for medical licenses in Korea by reviewing recent cases of physician arrests for medical accidents in Korea. A number of recent cases of medical mistakes have been criminalized by courts in Korea, leading to widespread concern and fear throughout the healthcare community. Without a profession-led self-regulation system ever having been introduced in Korea, there is no alternative method for disciplining doctors other than through criminal tort law. It is expected that the volume of malpractice lawsuits will increase rapidly in Korea as the government ambitiously expands its plans for universal health coverage. Instead of facing criminal charges, however, doctors must put forth an effort to introduce a contemporary form of medical regulation, with more advanced disciplinary measures against substandard practice. The Korean Medical Association has undertaken the challenging mandate of establishing a new professional regulatory body to provide a tribunal and disciplinary system for the medical profession. It has proven difficult to persuade doctors of its purpose and value, as the majority do not yet fully grasp the very foreign concept of self-regulation. Moving forward, however, it will eventually become the responsibility of doctors to persuade society, lawmakers, government, and patient interest groups of the necessity and viability of self-regulation, which may also prove challenging. Despite these predictable challenges, it is imperative that Korean doctors solve the issue of creating a new, modern regulatory body capable of effective self-regulation and acceptable disciplinary measures, within the near future.
Criminals ; Delivery of Health Care ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Jurisprudence ; Korea ; Liability, Legal ; Licensure ; Malpractice ; Medical Errors ; Methods ; Public Opinion ; Self-Control

BACKGROUND: The clinical practice examination (CPX) was introduced in 2010, and the Seoul-Gyeonggi CPX Consortium developed the patient-physician interaction (PPI) assessment tool in 2004. Both institutions use rating scales on classified sections of PPI but differ in their scoring of key components. This study investigated the accuracy of standardized patient scores across rating scales by comparing checklist methods and verified the concurrent validity of two comparable PPI rating tools. METHODS: An educational CPX module dyspepsia case was administered to 116 fourth-year medical students at Hanyang University College of Medicine. One experienced standardized patient rated exams using two different PPI scales. She scored checklists composed of 43 items related to the two original PPI scales through video clips of the same students. From these checklists, we calculated Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The correlations of total PPI score between the checklist and rating scale methods were 0.29 for the Korean Medical Licensing Examination (KMLE) tool and 0.30 for the consortium tool. The correlations between the KMLE and consortium tools were 0.74 for checklists and 0.83 for rating scales. In terms of section scores, the consortium tool showed only three significant correlations between the two methods out of seven sections and the KMLE tool showed only two statistically significant correlations out of five sections. CONCLUSION: The rating scale and checklist methods exhibited a weak relationship in the PPI assessment, but a high correlation between assessment tools using the same method. However, the current rating scale requires modification by reorganizing key scoring components through factor analysis.
Behavior Rating Scale ; Checklist* ; Dyspepsia ; Education, Medical ; Educational Measurement ; Humans ; Licensure ; Methods ; Physician-Patient Relations ; Students, Medical ; Weights and Measures

Good assessment is crucial for feedback on curriculum and to motivate students to learn. This study was conducted to perform item analysis on the Medical Education Assessment Consortium clinical knowledge mock examination (MEAC CKME) (2011–2016) and to evaluate several effects to improve item quality using both classical test theory and item response theory. The estimated difficulty index (P) and discrimination index (D) were calculated according to each course, item type, A (single best answer)/R (extended matching) type, and grading of item quality. The cut-off values used to evaluate P were: >0.8 (easy); 0.6–0.8 (moderate); and <0.6 (difficult). The cut-off value for D was 0.3. The proportion of appropriate items was defined as those with P between 0.25–0.75 and D ≥0.25. Cronbach α was used to assess the reliability and was compared with those of the Korean Medical Licensing Examination (KMLE). The results showed the recent mean difficulty and decimation index was 0.62 and 0.20 for the first MEAC CKME and 0.71 and 0.19 for the second MEAC CKME, respectively. Higher grade items evaluated by a self-checklist system had better D values than lower grade items and higher grade items gradually increased. The preview and editing process by experts revealed maintained P, decreased recall items, increased appropriate items with better D values, and higher reliability. In conclusion, the MEAC CKME (2011–2016) is deemed appropriate as an assessment to evaluate students' competence and prepare year four medical students for the KMLE. In addition, the self-checklist system for writing good items was useful in improving item quality.
Curriculum ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Education, Medical ; Humans ; Licensure ; Mental Competency ; Students, Medical ; Writing

Observation of the current Korean medical education and training system shows that certain negative traits of unchangeable solidification engraft themselves so deeply into the overarching system that they are now hampering the state of the national health welfare. Focusing only on undergraduate medical education, we can point out some glaring side-effects that should be of concern to any stakeholder. For instance, a graduate can legally begin his career as an independent practitioner immediately after passing the licensing exam and return to the old stuck school-year system of 2-year-premedical and 4-year-medical programs where outcome-based and integrated curricula are incomplete and unsatisfactory. In terms of learning opportunities, the balance between patient care and public health, as well as that between in-hospital highly specialized practice and community-based general practice, has worsened. Every stakeholder should be aware of these considerations in order to obtain the insight to forge a new direction. Moreover, our medical schools must prepare our students to take on the global roles of patient care within the Fourth Industrial Revolution, health advocacy for the imminent super-aged society, and education and research in the bio-health industry, by building and applying the concept of academic medicine. We will need to invest more resources, including educational specialists, into the current undergraduate medical education system in order to produce proper outcomes, smart curriculum, innovative methods of teaching and learning, and valid and reliable monitoring and evaluation. The improved quality of undergraduate medical education is the starting point for the success of the national system for public health and medical care as a whole, and therefore its urgency and significance should be emphasized to the public. The medical society should go beyond fixing what is broken and usher in a new era of cooperation and collaboration that invites other health professionals, governmental partners, law-makers, opinion leaders, and the general public in its steps toward the future.
Cooperative Behavior ; Curriculum ; Education ; Education, Medical ; Education, Medical, Undergraduate ; General Practice ; Glare ; Health Occupations ; Humans ; Learning ; Licensure ; Patient Care ; Public Health ; Schools, Medical ; Societies, Medical ; Specialization

PURPOSE: Smart device-based testing (SBT) is being introduced into the Republic of Korea’s high-stakes examination system, starting with the Korean Emergency Medicine Technician Licensing Examination (KEMTLE) in December 2017. In order to minimize the effects of variation in examinees’ environment on test scores, this study aimed to identify any associations of variables related to examinees’ individual characteristics and their perceived acceptability of SBT with their SBT practice test scores. METHODS: Of the 569 candidate students who took the KEMTLE on September 12, 2015, 560 responded to a survey questionnaire on the acceptability of SBT after the examination. The questionnaire addressed 8 individual characteristics and contained 2 satisfaction, 9 convenience, and 9 preference items. A comparative analysis according to individual variables was performed. Furthermore, a generalized linear model (GLM) analysis was conducted to identify the effects of individual characteristics and perceived acceptability of SBT on test scores. RESULTS: Among those who preferred SBT over paper-and-pencil testing, test scores were higher for male participants (mean± standard deviation [SD], 4.36± 0.72) than for female participants (mean± SD, 4.21± 0.73). According to the GLM, no variables evaluated— including gender and experience with computer-based testing, SBT, or using a tablet PC—showed a statistically significant relationship with the total score, scores on multimedia items, or scores on text items. CONCLUSION: Individual characteristics and perceived acceptability of SBT did not affect the SBT practice test scores of emergency medicine technician students in Korea. It should be possible to adopt SBT for the KEMTLE without interference from the variables examined in this study.
Emergencies ; Emergency Medical Technicians ; Emergency Medicine ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Licensure ; Linear Models ; Male ; Multimedia ; Personal Satisfaction ; Republic of Korea

No abstract available.
Education ; Humans ; Korea ; Licensure ; Medical Record Administrators ; Medical Records

BACKGROUND: After introduction of clinical skills assessment in the Korean Medical Licensing Examination, medical schools have reinforced both experiential learning with real patients and preparatory programs. This study was conducted to investigate whether a clinical practice examination (CPX) preparation program improves students' CPX score in terms of case specificity. METHODS: One hundred and thirteen senior students in a medical school participated in this study. During the fourth-year clerkship, 28 students (24.8%) from three rotation groups took a 3-day CPX preparation course consisting of module development, role play, and comprehensive physical exam skills training. Eleven rotation groups (n=85) were compared as control. Both the intervention and control group took two comprehensive CPXs before and after the clerkship was completed. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in age, sex, and school type between the two groups. On pre-test CPX, there was no significant difference in total and sectional scores between the two groups. On post-test CPX, total scores of the intervention group were higher than those of the control groups (69.5±4.3 vs. 67.5±4.4, P < 0.05). History taking scores were higher in intervention groups (70.0±6.0 vs. 66.0±6.6, P=0.01). The station scores of vaginal discharge with case similarity were higher in the intervention groups (73.0±6.3 vs. 68.9±9.3, P=0.03). CONCLUSION: A short CPX preparation course improved history taking ability, but its effect was greater only in a specific case, similar to the pre-course case. Whether this effect was due to the test experience or true improvement in competency requires further investigation.
Clinical Clerkship ; Clinical Competence ; Education, Medical, Undergraduate ; Humans ; Licensure ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Patient Simulation ; Problem-Based Learning ; Role Playing ; Schools, Medical ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Simulation Training ; Vaginal Discharge

The aim of this study was to investigate respondents' satisfaction with smart device-based testing (SBT), as well as its convenience and advantages, in order to improve its implementation. The survey was conducted among 108 junior medical students at Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Korea, who took a practice licensing examination using SBT in September 2015. The survey contained 28 items scored using a 5-point Likert scale. The items were divided into the following three categories: satisfaction with SBT administration, convenience of SBT features, and advantages of SBT compared to paper-and-pencil testing or computer-based testing. The reliability of the survey was 0.95. Of the three categories, the convenience of the SBT features received the highest mean (M) score (M= 3.75, standard deviation [SD]= 0.69), while the category of satisfaction with SBT received the lowest (M= 3.13, SD= 1.07). No statistically significant differences across these categories with respect to sex, age, or experience were observed. These results indicate that SBT was practical and effective to take and to administer.
Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Korea* ; Licensure ; Personal Satisfaction ; Republic of Korea ; Students, Medical* ; Tablets