When the St George’s Graduate Entry Medicine programme first launched 21 years ago, it was the first of its kind. Former Clinical Dean at St George’s, Dr Douglas Maxwell, who chaired a working party to set up the programme, shared his reflections with us about getting the programme off the ground.
“At the time I was approached to chair this working party, the UK government was offering to support additional student places at medical schools to cope with the increased needs of the health service. At St George's, we thought that a four-year course would be attractive to graduates who could bring maturity, breadth of experience and commitment.
“During the planning stages, I was fortunate enough to be able to visit universities in Canada and Australia who had already implemented their own fast-track Medicine course. McMaster University in Canada, which had pioneered a problem-based approach (PBL) to medical education – an approach which St George’s still benefits from today. In the end, we benefitted from an excellent partnership with Flinders University (Adelaide, South Australia) during the early years of the programme.
“I am proud to have been involved with this unique programme and delighted that 21 years of the graduate entry programme will be celebrated. It was a rewarding experience for me, with a positive impact on the diversity of UK medical education.”