Report of the MEDINE2 Bachelor of Medicine (Bologna First Cycle) Tuning Project

Abstract

Background: European Higher Education institutions are expected to adopt a three-cycle system of Bachelor, Master and Doctor degrees as part of the Bologna Process. Tuning methodology was previously used by the MEDINE Thematic Network to gain consensus on core learning outcomes (LO) for primary medical degrees (Master of Medicine) across Europe.

Aims: The current study, undertaken by the MEDINE2 Thematic Network, sought to explore stakeholder opinions on core LO for Bachelor of Medicine degrees.

Method: Key stakeholders were invited to indicate, on a Likert scale, to what extent they thought students should have achieved each of the Master of Medicine LO upon successful completion of the first three years of university education in medicine (Bachelor of Medicine).

Results: There were 560 responses to the online survey, representing medical students, academics, graduates, employers, patients, and virtually all EU countries. There was broad consensus between respondents that all LO previously defined for primary medical degrees should be achieved to some extent by the end of the first three years.

Conclusions: The findings promote integration of undergraduate medical curricula, and also offer a common framework and terminology for discussing what a European Bachelor of Medicine graduate can and cannot do, promoting mobility, graduate employability and patient safety.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all members of the MEDINE2 Thematic Network for their support, opinions and collaboration. Particular thanks to the Project Officer, Carol Telford, for her invaluable support, and to those MEDINE2 members who participated actively in Workpackage 4 meetings and e-mail correspondence, including Birgitta Wallstedt, Bernard Maillet, Paola Arslan, Jorgen Nordenstrom, Orla Hanratty, Karen Pierer, Felicidad Rodríguez Sánchez, Matthius Dürst, Lidia Przepiora-Dziewulska, Malgorzata Rejnik, Georges Casimir, Miguel Angel Vizcaya, Juan Bosco Lopez Saez, Suzana Manxhuka-Kerliu, Elisabeth Hansson, Evelina Nystrom, Nikolay Aryayev, Kristjan Erlendsson and Michael Begg. Thanks also to Ronald Harden, Helen Cameron and Madalena Patrício for their invaluable contributions to the final consensus meeting. The authors are also very grateful to the many survey respondents who contributed their valuable time and expertise.

Declaration of interest: The study was conducted under the auspices of the MEDINE2 Erasmus Academic Network for Medical Education in Europe, 2009–2013, coordinated by The University of Edinburgh and supported by funding from the Life Long Learning Programme of the European Commission: 155731-LLP-1-2009-1-UK-ERASMUS-ENWA.