We describe the changes in medical training program offered at
the G. D’Annunzio University Medical School in Chieti-Pescara,
Italy, which took place over the last decade. The new curriculum
differs from the previous one in several important aspects,
including limited number of students admitted to school
depending on the estimated needs for physicians, obligatory
class attendance, student attendance in preclinical laboratories,
formative credits as a measure of student activity, and elective
subjects. Furthermore, all medical graduates are allowed to take
the State exam to obtain the licence to practice, which was not
the case previously. As a result of these major changes, a higher
number of students graduates in due time. The changes made in
the medical education curriculum in Italy have enabled Italian
medical graduates to work in European Community Hospitals,
because their medical degree is recognized in other EU countries.
The main motif that drives the Medical School in Chieti-Pescara
is the achievement of high quality in medical education
and biomedical research by creating as strong a relationship
between education and research as possible.
