Medical Education In The United States And Spain: Comparison Of The Medical Education Systems

This paper investigates the differences in the medical education systems for physicians in the United States and Spain, focusing on medical schools and their curricula. This investigation was done by a literature review, an evaluation of one medical school in each country, and interviews from medical students in the United States and Spain. The goal of this paper is to highlight the major differences in the medical education programs in both countries, and to determine if one is more efficient than the other. In the United States, medical students attend medical school for four years, and in Spain, medical students are in medical school for six. The curriculum of medical schools in both countries vary widely because of the lengths of the programs, but the content is the similar. The US schools, however, are more expensive and have more admissions requirements. From the medical school interviews, there were similarities between the medical students’ lifestyles and involvements in activities at their schools, and it appears that the student experience would be very similar between both schools. Therefore, the US had a shorter and more efficient medical education, however, more research needs to be conducted in order to determine if the quality of education for physicians in the United States and Spain is equivalent.