MEDICAL EDUCATION IN RUSSIA

All establishments of higher medical education are financed and guided by the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation.

Doctors of different specialties are trained at medical institutions of higher education, at medical universities and academies. There are also pharmaceutical academies, which train specialists in pharmacy.

Medical institutions of higher education offer various faculties and specialties which an entrant may choose according to his or her abilities and wishes. Nowadays a new examination system is being introduced. The so-called «The General State Exam» allows pupils to enter any institution of higher education according to its results.

Medical colleges train paramedical personnel: nurses, midwives, dental technicians and doctor’s assistants. The course of studies is 3-4 years.

The training at medical institutions of higher education takes 5 or 6 years. It consists of lectures, practical classes and medical practice. The attendance of lectures, practical classes and seminars is compulsory. Academic year begins on September the 1^st and is divided into two semesters of four months each. At the end of each semester the students have to pass examinations and tests. If a student passes the exams well he gets a grant paid monthly.

The curriculum includes theoretical and clinical subjects. For the first two years students study pre-clinical subjects such as: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Social Sciences, Latin and so on. They also study Human Anatomy, Physiology, Histology, and Microbiology. Clinical subjects are taught from the third to the fifth or sixth year.

The students have practical course at therapeutic, surgical and other departments in hospitals and clinics. They master practical skills in clinical conditions. They are taught how to take and record the patient’s case history, to carry on medical examination of the patient, to make diagnosis, to prescribe treatment and carry on different medical procedures.

There are all facilities for talented students to carry on research work. They attend scientific societies at different departments where they are offered modern guidelines for research activity.

Having passed state examinations graduates receive their diplomas and can apply for clinical internship.

The post graduate course and the Institute of Post-Diploma and Additional Education are for doctors, who want to improve their qualification. During three years the post-graduate students prepare a thesis, defend it and obtain the degree of Candidate of Medical Sciences.