A. Bilgic Temel1, D. Murrell2, 3, A. Karakas 4
Medicine is one of the most favoured higher education choices, as doctors are seen the most respectable citizens in Turkish society. Admission to medical faculties is based on a nation-wide Student Selection Examination. Medical faculty consists of 6 education years with additional language education (English) year if necessary. Medical doctors then gain access to specialization programs after taking the National Specialty Examination. This article aims to summarise Turkish education system for general medicine and dermatology specialty.
Method: The authors describe the general medicine and dermatology specialty training based on the system regulated by Turkish Council of Higher Education and the Turkish Society of Dermatology education program guidelines and development reports.
Results: According to the records of the Turkish Ministry of Health, there are more than 1.346 dermatologists working in Turkey. The majority of them are working as consultant dermatologists under the Ministry of Health and many are in charge of inpatient care institutions in addition to outpatient clinics. Around 25% of the dermatologists are working without a formal institution (private clinic) and 15% works in university hospitals. Turkish Society of Dermatology provides various opportunities such as scholarships for abroad-education and attendance to national and international congress, hand-on courses on specific topics for residents and specialists, online courses from experts, subspecialty task forces, patient information sheets, and legal help.
Conclusion: Due to globalisation and increased collaboration in medicine and medical research, it is becoming more important to have knowledge about different education systems and their equivalents in various geographic regions.