Background to the report Flexner Report

abraham flexner

in 1904 american medical association (ama) created council on medical education (cme) objective restructure american medical education. @ first annual meeting, cme adopted 2 standards: 1 laid down minimum prior education required admission medical school, other defined medical education consisting of 2 years training in human anatomy , physiology followed 2 years of clinical work in teaching hospital. speaking, council strove improve quality of medical students, looking draw society of upperclass, educated students. in 1908, cme asked carnegie foundation advancement of teaching survey american medical education, promote cme s reformist agenda , hasten elimination of medical schools failed meet cme s standards. president of carnegie foundation, henry pritchett, staunch advocate of medical school reform, chose abraham flexner conduct survey. flexner not physician, scientist, or medical educator, although held bachelor of arts degree , operated for-profit school in louisville, kentucky.

at time, 155 medical schools in north america differed in curricula, methods of assessment, , requirements admission , graduation. flexner visited 155 schools , generalized them follows: each day students subjected interminable lectures , recitations. after long morning of dissection or series of quiz sections, might sit wearily in afternoon through 3 or 4 or 5 lectures delivered in methodical fashion part-time teachers. evenings given on reading , preparation recitations. if fortunate enough gain entrance hospital, observed more participated. report became notorious harsh description of establishments, example describing chicago s 14 medical schools disgrace state laws permit existence... indescribably foul... plague spot of nation.

nevertheless, several schools received praise excellent performance, including case western reserve, michigan, wake forest, mcgill, university of toronto, , johns hopkins, described model medical education .