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OU to open up medical education The United Kingdom's Open University has announced plans to increase its profile within undergraduate medical education by opening the Open University Centre for Education in Medicine (OUCEM). The centre was formerly a national research unit based in London, devoted to postgraduate and continuing medical education in primary and secondary care. With the establishment of EUCEM, the Open University will have four strands of medical education activity: continuing, postgraduate, undergraduate, and access.
The unit has well established links with the Department of Health, medical royal colleges and deaneries, one of its largest projects being a three year collaboration with the Department of Health examining reforms to higher specialist training. It has also recently completed an evaluation of the new preregistration house officer scheme that includes placements in general practice alongside the usual medicine and surgery. Negotiations are already under way with 10 UK medical schools to develop a flexible, part time entry route into year three of existing medicine courses, funded by a grant of £100 000 from the Higher Education Funding Council for England. Talks are also in progress with all British medical schools to enable certain Open University courses to be considered as equivalent to A level for application to medical schools. Such moves would be unique in western Europe and open up undergraduate medical education to those prevented by work, domestic, or financial constraints from entering a full five year undergraduate course. The university's vice chancellor, Sir John Daniel, said: "This sends a clear message that the OU is serious about medical education. By working in partnership with the medical profession and medical schools we can safely widen access to medical education and training in ways which will be uniquely flexible in both scale and delivery." In the spring of this year, service based learning for acute general medicine is being launched in collaboration with the Royal College of Physicians of England and Hospital Doctor. "We are delighted to be moving onto the main campus as part of our serious commitment to developing medical education," said Janet Grant, director of the joint centre and professor of education in medicine in the Institute of Educational Technology at the Open University. "This will secure the centre's future, enabling it to continue its high standard of work while also contributing fully to the OU's wider developments in the sector."
Jason O'Neale Roach studentBMJ
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