IntroductionEducation in SYSUCC
Fostering the next generation of clinicians and scientists in oncology is one of the major missions of Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center. Currently our center has a strong team of teachers assuming the responsibility of medical education for undergraduates, graduate students, visiting students and advanced trainings. Disciplines taught include oncology, anesthesiology, molecular medicine, medical and nuclear medicine imaging.
Medical education in China
The equivalent of an M.D. in China is a Medical Benke, which is a 5 years course of undergraduate study (level of a bachelor degree in Medicine). Upon completion of their Bachelor Degree in medicine, students can either practice Medicine or follow their graduate study with a Master’s Degree course (3 years course). Upon completion of their Master’s Degree, students can either practice medicine or follow up with a Ph.D. course (3 years). An alternative to get a Ph.D. degree is the 8 years program, where the students are recruited starting after the national higher education entrance examination.
Teachers in SYSUCC
As an integrated cancer center, SYSUCC provides a high level of education in the major discipline of oncology (Medical Oncology, Surgical Oncology and Radiation Oncology). The provided courses are intended both for undergraduate students, post-graduates, residents and physicians (advanced training: Continuing Medical Education). It has excellent teachers, including two academician of the Chinese Academy of Science, 52 supervisors for PhD students and 102 supervisors for graduate students.
Undergraduate Education and Eight-year postgraduate Education
SYSUCC offers a medical undergraduate course named “Oncology”, consisting of theoretical courses and clinic probation. This course is followed by the all the medical students of SYSU.
After finishing theoretical courses, medical undergraduates are expected to have good commands in oncologic epidemiology, etiology, pathology, clinical diagnosis and image diagnosis, principles of oncologic surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and biologic therapy, clinical manifestation, diagnosis and treatment strategy of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, esophageal carcinoma, lung cancer, hepatic cancer, gastric cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, pharyngeal cancer, leukemia and lymphoma, and also precautionary approach to cancers.
Clinic probation and practice focuses on training of basic knowledge and skills in order to reinforce oncologic knowledge, train clinical thinking and practical ability, and develop medical ethics, through case demonstration, collecting history, operation demonstration, diagnostic and therapeutic facilities’ exhibition, case discussion and academic lectures. Every year, more than 500 medical undergraduate are enrolled in this course.
SYSUCC is also authorized to offer an eight-year education program that awards candidates with a doctoral degree. The selection of the “8 years program” students is rather selective and requirements for doctoral degree include high level of medical theory, foreign language, scientific research and also clinical practice as oncologic resident. After 6 years of general medical courses and training, the students chose their specialty (ex: oncology).
Postgraduate Education
SYSUCC offers postgraduate education with four training programs including Oncology, Nuclear medicine, Anesthesiology, and Molecular Medicine for both Master and Ph.D. students. Upon candidates’ graduation, SYSUCC is authorized to provide candidates either clinical professional degree or medical scientific degree.
Backed up by the great strength of SYSUCC in medical practice, education and scientific research (State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Clinical Trial Center), SYSUCC fosters physicians majoring in chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy or pathology, and also scientific fellows working on molecular biology, cellular biology, pharmacology, genetics and epidemiology. Degrees after postgraduate education include clinical professional degree and medical scientific degree.
After finishing the three years’ study, candidates should have excellent command in oncology, should be familiar with latest advancement in oncology and master a kind of foreign language. To get clinical professional degree, candidates need to be able to deal with common diseases and some complicated and difficult cases as registrar. For medical scientific degree, candidates should be able to conduct scientific research independently.
Curriculum Settings for master candidates include Oncology, English, Human Anatomy, Pathophysiology, Pathology, Molecular Biology, Medical Statistic, Measurement and Evaluation of Clinical Scientific Design, Pharmacology, Clinical Pharmacology, Advanced Biochemistry Techniques, Basic Application of Computer Science, etc. Curriculum Settings for doctoral candidates include Oncology, English, Pathology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Pathophysiology, Immunology and Human Anatomy, etc.
Residents/Specialists Training
SYSUCC took the lead in conferring oncologists training at a national level. From 2006 to 2009, 57 trainees were enrolled and now majority of them have finished their training and are working in other hospitals as backbones.
Advanced Training and Further Medical Education
By fully exploiting its advantages in resources, SYSUCC offers a platform for advanced training and further medical education for doctors from basic hospitals. As the most important Cancer Center in the southern part of China, SYSUCC has been attracting fellows from the whole nation, Hong Kong, Macao and even foreign countries to get continuing medical education. Currently, SYSUCC takes on about 100 trainees every year and provide a “one-year training program” consisting of theoretical courses for one month and clinic practice for 11 months. Until now, over 3000 trainees have been enrolled. Within the recent five years, SYSUCC has conducted 79 continuing medical education training programs, which has taken over 154000 doctors nationally.
Last Update: October 2011
Last Update: October 2011