The globalization of medical education

Abstract

Healthcare providers are moving more freely across borders than at any time in our history, and healthcare and academic institutions are establishing clinical facilities around the world. A new kind of migration is emerging, due to rising cost and other factors, in which students from developed countries are seeking education and training opportunities abroad. Medical education is undergoing rapid globalization, with several well-known United States institutions establishing programs and facilities around the world. A generation of 20 to 30 year-olds in the United States, referred to as the “First Globals,” see themselves as citizens of the world and seek to train anywhere and live anywhere. Consequently, there are methods under development to benchmark physician competence at a much more granular level, regardless of where the student is trained and practices.