Traditional courses for clinical students

Traditional Chinese medicine courses will become mandatory for undergraduate students majoring in clinical medicine, according to a guideline released by central government departments to promote high-quality TCM education.

Meanwhile, about 100 top-level majors for TCM undergraduate students will be established in medical colleges across China as part of efforts to strengthen the TCM discipline, said the guideline, jointly released last month by the Ministry of Education, National Health Commission and National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Reform will also take place in the TCM curriculum, including streamlining TCM courses and teaching plans, and it is expected that in about five years undergraduate students majoring in TCM will start studying TCM courses first, instead of modern medicine, after entering college.

Medical colleges will also increase the share of TCM classics courses in their TCM courses, and courses on TCM treatments for infectious diseases should be set up, the guideline said.

TCM departments in colleges should also establish a system that improves tutorship and encourages students to start internships earlier. Efforts will be made to encourage senior TCM experts and practitioners to participate in the teaching, tutoring and training of college students majoring in TCM.

To produce high-level talent that excels in both TCM and modern medicine, pilot programs will be carried out in some medical colleges to provide nine-year medical education to students, the guideline said.

In addition to colleges, vocational schools should also reform TCM education and training, it said. Measures will be taken to support TCM vocational schools' provision of training in TCM healthcare services to both students and people outside schools to meet the increasing demand for such services.