Eight-Year Medical Education Program - Retrospect and Prospect of the High-Level Medical Talent Training in China

Oct 15, 2026

Eight-year medical education program (EYMEP) is China’s route to cultivating high-level medical talent. This study reviews the program’s development through historical stages, assesses current status and defining characteristics, and identifies threats and challenges facing the initiative. Using analysis of relevant textual and policy materials, supplemented by interviews and field visits, the review organizes EYMEP into five distinct periods and outlines future prospects and considerations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Purpose

Design/Approach/Methods

Findings

Originality/Value

Developmental process of the EYMEP

Eight-Year Medical Education Program: Retrospect and Prospect of the High-Level Medical Talent Training in China Hongbin Wu (吴红斌) Peking University Ana Xie (谢阿娜) Peking University Weimin Wang (王维民) Peking University ECNU Review of Education 2021, Vol. 4(1) 190–209 ª The Author(s) 2020 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[DOI: 10.1177/2096531120957665](DOI: 10.1177/2096531120957665)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/2096531120957665)[journals.sagepub.com/home/roe](journals.sagepub.com/home/roe) Abstract Purpose: The 8-year medical education program (EYMEP) is China’s path to training high-level medical talents. In retrospect, this study systematically reviewed the developmental process of China’s EYMEP. The status quo and characteristics, and threats and challenges, were analyzed, along with the program’s prospects. Design/Approach/Methods: This study analyzed relevant textual materials and policy documents dating back to the time of hosting of China’s EYMEP, as well as conducted various specific interviews and field trips. Findings: The exploration of China’s high-level medical talent training has been conducted over a century. EYMEP can be divided into five periods: the Only Host Period, the Duplication Pilot Host Period, the Expansion Period, the Joint Exploration Period, and the In-Depth Promotion Period. Currently, there are 14 universities and institutes hosting the EYMEP approved by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. However, they differ greatly in training ideas and goals, Corresponding author: Weimin Wang, National Center for Health Professions Education Development, Peking University, No.38 XueYuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100191, China. [Email: wwm@bjmu.edu.cn](Email: wwm@bjmu.edu.cn) Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License ([https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages ([https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage](https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage)). enrollment processes, and training phases. China’s EYMEP is faced with some external threats and internal challenges. In the future, China’s EYMEP should consider five aspects. Originality/Value: In the new era of the reform and development of China’s medical education, a systematic review of the development of EYMEP in China is of great significance to the promotion of high-level medical talent training in China. Meanwhile, the exploration course of China’s highlevel medical talent training represented by the EYMEP may be an enlightenment for other countries, especially developing countries like China, in their training of high-level medical talents. Keywords 8-Year medical education program (EYMEP), clinical medicine, high-level medical talents, medical education, retrospect and prospect Date received: 4 June 2020; accepted: 16 August 2020 Talents are the first resources for health services, and medical education undertakes an important mission of medical talent training. Since the introduction of contemporary medicine, China’s medical education has made huge achievements under continuous exploration and reform. Currently, the core health indicators of China outperform those of middle-and high-income countries on average (State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China [PRC], 2019) . Among medical professionals, high-level medical talents decide the quality of medical services, medical science, and technology and guide the future development of medicine. In China, the path of high-level medical talent training, the 8-year med

FAQs

What is the main purpose of this study on the EYMEP?

It systematically reviews the developmental process of China’s eight-year medical education program, analyzing the status quo, characteristics, and the threats and challenges it faces, as well as its prospects.

How were the study materials collected and analyzed?

The study analyzed relevant textual materials and policy documents since the start of China’s EYMEP and also conducted specific interviews and field trips.

Into how many periods can the EYMEP development be divided?

The exploration is divided into five periods: the Only Host Period, the Duplication Pilot Host Period, the Expansion Period, the Joint Exploration Period, and the In-Depth Promotion Period.

Oct 15, 2026

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