National medical exam called for

Reforms to the training of medical graduates have been called for following the results of new research.

Following recent news that from 2009 only UK medical students will be able to apply for NHS training posts, it has been suggested by Professor Chris McManus of University College London that a national medical exam would ensure the quality of graduates from across the country, the BBC reports.

Following the publication of new research in the BMC Medicine journal, it was found that students from Newcastle, Oxford and Cambridge medical schools performed best in the postgraduate Membership of the Royal College of Physicians test.

Professor McManus told the news source: 'Not all medical schools are equal. We assume, because there are national standards, that all graduates have the necessary skills, but there is no way of comparing performance.'

He said the quality of graduates differs as universities set their own exams and tests to assess medical students.