How to understand it correctly?

Công Luận•29/05/2023

Regarding admission information for medical programs, many universities use a subject combination that includes Literature. Recently, Duy Tan University has released information on this matter.

Accordingly, in addition to maintaining the traditional subject combination of Mathematics, Chemistry, and Biology (B00) for admission to medical programs in the Health Sciences field, Duy Tan University has added Literature to a subject combination for admission (A16): (Mathematics; Natural Sciences including Physics, Chemistry, and Biology; Literature).

How to correctly interpret the inclusion of Vietnamese language in medical entrance examinations (Figure 1)? — Literature is believed to help develop writing skills – crucial for conveying information clearly in reports, scientific research, and medical lectures. (Illustrative image.)

The school's leadership believes that the goal is to train well-rounded medical students who meet both the technical expertise and humanistic qualities necessary for medical education in Vietnam.

In the admission combination that includes Literature, there are still three subjects from the Natural Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) included in the exam, thus ensuring the core knowledge and foundation required for traditional medical admissions, in addition to being organized in accordance with the high school graduation exam in the reformed high school curriculum currently being implemented.

Currently, Duy Tan University's medical program admissions always ensure that Biology is included in every admission combination to standardize the professional knowledge of students studying in the Health Sciences field, meeting the necessary and sufficient conditions to study and become a General Practitioner.

For medical training at Duy Tan University, Literature is included as one of the subject combinations for admission to the General Practitioner program. The goal is to select candidates with humanistic qualities and communication or reading comprehension skills in various forms, in addition to ensuring that these candidates have fully met the knowledge requirements in Natural Sciences (specifically Physics, Chemistry, and Biology).

The school's leadership believes that students who study Literature have many advantages in interactive thinking and communication, in addition to the ability to quickly read, understand, and analyze academic materials to absorb new medical knowledge.

Not to mention that Literature helps develop writing skills – which are crucial for conveying information clearly in reports, scientific research, and medical lectures.

Furthermore, those with strong literary skills possess a deep understanding of the culture, ethics, and humanistic values of medicine. This is a necessary condition for each graduate to become a General Practitioner who possesses all three qualities: Heart, Talent, and Virtue.

Furthermore, Duy Tan University also focuses on improving students' English proficiency so that after graduation, or even while studying at the university, students have sufficient competence to access international medical literature and participate in scientific research in the field of medicine.

Meanwhile, Professor Nguyen Anh Tri, a National Assembly representative from Hanoi and former Director of the Central Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, affirmed that medical training is a crucial issue, therefore any changes to the admission plan must undergo a process of research and impact assessment.

"When including Literature as a subject in the admissions process, it must be evaluated by scientists, especially those in the medical field. Then, a legal document is needed to formalize it, rather than each school using a different admissions method, changing it every year," said Professor Nguyen Anh Tri.

Looking back at the medical training process, Professor Nguyen Anh Tri stated that the important subjects used as a basis for medical school admissions are Mathematics, Chemistry, and Biology. If there is a need for innovation in entrance examinations, it must be based on scientific evidence.

Expressing his views on this issue, Professor Nguyen Thanh Liem, former Director of the National Children's Hospital, supported including Literature as a subject in the admission criteria.

The reason he gave was that doctors treat patients not only by performing procedures, surgeries, and prescribing medication, but also by possessing the heart and character of a physician.

"Someone once said that literature reflects the person, therefore literature is an important factor in shaping the character and heart of a doctor."

Literary works provide doctors with a comprehensive worldview about human beings, their complex emotional and psychological states. This helps doctors develop humanistic thinking, enhance their ability to understand and empathize with patients, and enable them to provide individualized treatment.

"Scientific knowledge can still be acquired even if one starts learning later, but the process of character and soul formation begins in childhood," this person shared their perspective.

According to Professor Nguyen Thanh Liem, being good at writing helps doctors develop good communication skills with patients, allowing them to better understand illnesses and avoid unfortunate conflicts.

Being good at writing helps doctors express their opinions clearly and concisely when writing reports. "I've read quite a few Master's and Doctoral theses that were written with numerous grammatical and stylistic errors."

In international medical student entrance exams, besides the theoretical part, the interview is very important. In this part, the interviewer does not focus on scientific knowledge but requires candidates to have a broad understanding of many issues, especially social issues, and the ability to handle various situations.

"The generations of Vietnamese doctors trained under the French were not only highly skilled professionally but also possessed great personalities," this person emphasized.

From the perspectives of all parties, it seems that if medical students excel in both natural sciences and literature, it would be ideal. Such an admissions process would provide medical students with a more well-rounded education than in high school.

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