Medical education reform is controversial, but the government’s bill has not yet been made public and will be on the agenda of a future cabinet. At the end of last year, Mrs Veil, Minister of Health, when she presented the global measures to make the social security accounts sustainable, had talked about the stabilization of the number of doctors. In 1982 there will be one doctor per 370 inhabitants and we will have reached the highest level of medical density in Europe. It seems possible to leave it at that, she said, and therefore to reduce the number of students admitted to the second year of university from now on. Since then, the medical education reform project has made progress. His outlines do not suit the medical students and they demonstrated today in Paris. Three major names in medicine, Professors SCHWARTZENBERG, MINKOWSKI and MILLIEZ, were concerned about the lack of consultation prior to the drafting of this bill. They want to sound the alarm because if the main concern is to reduce the number of doctors at all costs in order to reduce the costs of Social Security, these calculations are not admissible in conscience. The reform of the medical studies covers all the final cycles, it concerns the generalists and the specialists. Its ambition is to make medicine a real public service whose recruitment and training methods will increasingly depend on the needs of the population. Selection will be strengthened, the proportion of specialists will decrease as well as the number of personnel in certain disciplines (psychiatry or surgery). For the Ministry of Universities, this reform, which will primarily affect 36,000 students, will rehabilitate teaching. It will improve the relationship between specialists and generalists and will make it possible to reduce the number of city doctors and therefore prescribers of medical expenses by extending their studies by one year. All these arguments are refuted by student organizations which consider that this reform tends to set up a caste of specialists. It organizes studies but does not take programs into account. The council of the Order approving this reform, what weight will the professors hostile to this project have?
Medical studies are known to be among the most difficult in France. In Poitiers the students have just made their start, the numbers are stable despite the reform. For the first time this year, a core curriculum common to all health professions is being put in place for the first quarter. The selection will be carried out very early, during the first examinations advent Christmas. At the Faculty of Medicine of Poitiers, they are like last year, 1300 enrolled, this time in the first common year of health studies, the PACES, is the name of this reform put in place. In the amphitheatre, 650 students attend the class in the morning, as much in the afternoon in video. The novelty is that to prepare a diploma of doctor, physiotherapist, dental surgeon midwife or pharmacist the students follow in the first semester a common teaching that will be specific only to the second. Michel MORICHAU-BEAUCHANT, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Poitiers: 'The idea of this decree is to make a first barrage so that students, when they see that they do not have the necessary knowledge, can be quickly reoriented into other components.' Judith DESSE and Charlotte BRUGEROLLE, first-year medical students find it a good thing. Avoiding the default choices, facilitating the reorientation are among the objectives set by a law that will also apply to students enrolled in pharmacy. Marie-Paule JOUANNETAUD, Vice-Dean of the Faculty Director of the Pharmacy Section: 'The interest for pharmacy students is that if they see that they are more interested in other health careers, they can change their orientation during the year without having to repeat a year. It opens them up to all health professions.' The law will no longer allow students to repeat their grades if they have not obtained a certain ranking.
The competition at the end of the first year of medicine is very selective and places enormous pressure on candidates. 55% of students use private preps in addition to classes to maximize their chances. On the other hand the universities try to meet this need by offering a few hours of tutoring a week with third-year students. Meeting with Paul and Lucas two first-year students in Nantes
In Paris, a demonstration of medical students against the selection that takes place just after the first year. images of the demonstration and an interview with a student.
Explanations on animations of the new selection for medical students of the law of November 7, 1968. From now on, the number of medical students will be calculated according to the number of teaching beds available in hospitals. The selection would allow a "reasonable" increase in practitioners in France. This will take place between the end of the first year. Interview with Professor MILLIEZ who is against.
First-year medical students enter a selection competition. In Rennes, there are 1000 of them to present themselves and only 10% will be received. Those who want to enter the system are caught in the noose of the numus clausus. Micropavement of first year students, candidates in the competition and interview of Claude RIOUX, dean.
The INA Galaxy 
