Abstract
Background: Challenged by globalization, internationalization of medical education has become an irreversible trend. By analyzing students’ outward mobility in a medical university, eastern China, this study tries to investigate the internationalization of medical education in China.Methods: The data, obtained from international affairs office of Xuzhou Medical University, China, provided information about outward students’ backgrounds, destinations, program types and funding plans in the past nine years, and were analyzed with the use of MS Excel.Results: Students’ outward mobility has increased in the past nine years, though with a low number. Students with characteristics of undergraduate, traditional discipline related, the second and third year were more motivated in going outward. Traditional destinations like US and UK were still popular, Australia and other European countries were not hot. Developed countries and regions in Asia were becoming more and more vigorous, but developing countries were deep in freeze. Outward students demonstrated great interest in short-term programs, but little in course study and research program. The effect of financial support in students’ outward mobility was obvious, yet the investment was quite limited. Conclusion: The results suggest that students’ outward mobility has been improving in the past nine years. However, European countries and developing countries did not receive enough attention, and communication in interdisciplinary fields was insufficient, neither was it in course and research collaborations. Our findings provide important reference information for policy-makers of various countries and universities. At the same time, since a big potential for future mobility can be seen, the university should do the best to call for concerted efforts from governments, education institutions and the society to further improve internationalization of medical education.
Medical education in china: progress in the past 70 years and a vision for the future
