Marginalized Mission: The Challenging Future for Medical Education

Additional author Jerry Youkey, M.D.

Below is an excerpt from a recent briefing note Challenges Facing Medical Education. Click to read the briefing and recommendations for medical schools, health systems, and policymakers.

U.S. medical education is facing unprecedented challenges that threaten its sustainability and effectiveness. The convergence of physician shortages, financial pressures, evolving clinical learning environments, and the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) demands a fundamental rethinking of how medical education is structured, financed and delivered.

The quality of medical education depends on engaged clinical faculty and robust partnerships between medical schools and health systems. However, financial and operational pressures are pushing institutions toward transactional, rather than integrated or partnered, relationships—undermining the educational mission and risking disengagement of clinical educators. Marginalized engagement of physicians in medical education and diminished health system commitment has the potential to become an existential threat to medical education as we know it.

The authors contend that committed and collaborative action by health systems, medical schools and policy makers will be needed to limit the marginalization of medical education.

Click to read the full report and solutions.