Author | Liao Xinsheng

When I enrolled at Capital Medical University (CMU) three years ago, the university was celebrating its 60th anniversary. In order to become a top-tier, research-focused medical university by 2050, CMU underwent a dramatic shift in its orientation. Aside from the hardware development that the institution does, my two main goals at CMU were to develop high- level physician-scientists and to build an effective physician residency training system.

Concerning the medical residency training system, I can declare unequivocally that, to date, no hospital in China has graduated a resident who has been able to take direct management of a department, such as surgery or cardiology, once his or her training has been finished. On August 31st, this doctor will still be a graduate student, and a department may be confidently handed over to him on September 1st. We can't do that, but every other hospital in America can. The most outstanding trainees in the United States can become Attending Physicians the day after their training. This is my experience while attending the University of Washington. After finishing my training, I was immediately appointed attending physician for bone marrow transplantation, and a ward with 20 beds was assigned to me. My legs shook as I presided over ward rounds in front of colleagues, doctors from all over the world and the country, as well as doctors training at our hospital. I felt I couldn't do it the first few days, but I persisted. This is the effectiveness of clinical medical education in the United States. We are testing it at Xuanwu Hospital to increase the efficiency of medical training.

In terms of solving the scarcity of high-level physician-scientists, the Jieping Class was intended to achieve this goal. With President Rao’s strong backing, then-Vice President Wang Songling oversaw the founding of the Jieping Class two years ago. This course incorporates both standard clinical medical education and a novel scientific research track. The clinical medical teaching track is included within the “5 plus 3” curriculum, but the scientific research track is separate. The curriculum has undergone significant changes, including courses in English, mathematics, chemistry, cell biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, and immunology. Beginning in the second year, students cycle through three multidisciplinary mentor-led research groups before selecting a doctoral dissertation mentor group to start doctoral research at the end of the second year. Students will conduct research in interdisciplinary mentor laboratories for 7-10 years. The goal of the curriculum and mentorship structure is for students to become half cell biologists, half immunologists, half engineers, half pharmaceutical experts, and half public health specialists, ultimately cultivating high-end composite talents.

The Jieping Class places a high value on developing creative skills and has taken several steps to attain this aim. These policies are based on numerous successful experiences overseas, and they also incorporate many cultural and educational qualities unique to China. During the practical procedure, we watched our pupils’ outstanding growth and recognized areas for improvement.