Maintaining Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology as Health Science majors, DTU has added Literature to its admissions subject set, to establish a linkage between a technical and humanitarian education and adapt to the reformed senior high school program, currently being implemented in Vietnam.
Currently, the DTU medicine curriculum ensures that Biology is part of each subject set in order to standardize its health science program to meet the requirements of becoming general practitioners.
Professors from the University of Illinois and the University of Pittsburgh visit DTU to train Faculty of Medicine lecturers
However, Literature was selected as part of a new subject set for admissions requirements for a General Practitioner major, in order to select applicants with humanistic qualities, good communication and comprehensive reading skills, as well as a traditional foundation of knowledge in the natural sciences.
In medicine, doctors must be technically qualified, with clinical knowledge, but also in the communication skills required to guarantee accuracy making diagnoses, and investigating and explaining them clearly to patients and their families. Current medical curricula in developed countries include studies in psychology and social ethics, and tests simulating humanistic decision-making in order to graduate.
Literature students are better at communicating interactively and at rapidly reading and analyzing academic documents to add to their knowledge. Literature study also develops writing skills, vital in the preparation of logical reports, in research, and in medical presentations.
Other added advantages are the insight offered into the culture, ethics, and humanitarian values of medicine, essential for general practitioners with hearts, talents, and morals. The university also emphasizes the importance of English language proficiency, vital today in accessing international resources and current research in their field.
DTU students practice with doctors at the Hue Central Hospital
Professor and People’s Teacher Tran Huu Dang, Chairman of the Vietnamese Association of Diabetes & Endocrinology and Provost of the DTU College of Medicine & Pharmacy, explains: “A doctor should build a foundation of basic
professional knowledge, but should also be able to put patients at ease during medical exams and treatment to achieve high, long-term efficiency. Working DTU medical students, I’ve noticed that have a deep grasp of professional knowledge, but that they’re also always creative, dynamic, and extremely friendly. I welcome the expansion of the subject sets with Literature and the focus on English training throughout the course, such that students can confidently evolve into skilled doctors, take charge of diagnosis and treatment, communicate with their patients, and put them at ease.”
DTU Vice-Provost Dr Vo Thanh Hai says: “For many years, DTU’s admissions subject sets for Medicine have required an adequate knowledge of the natural sciences from high school and especially in biology, later supplemented with a more specialized knowledge at university level. Since 2017 however, the High School Graduation Exam subjects have been changed and examinees must take three compulsory subjects:
- Mathematics
- Literature,
- Foreign Language
As well as selecting:
- One Natural Sciences exam, in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology
- One Social Sciences exam, in History, Geography, and Citizenship Education.
“The reason DTU has added a subject set of Mathematics, Literature, and Natural Sciences for admissions to medicine is because of the modification of the high school exam, in line with the current directives and regulations concerning university admissions. A career in medicine requires humanitarianism, compassion, sympathy, sharing, strong communication skills, and the ability to perform under pressure during treatment. These values and reading comprehension are indispensable during medical training. High scores in Literature studies may be sufficient for admission to medicine courses, but it cannot be assumed that applicants who are good at Literature are good at natural sciences.”
Meanwhile, the university has been preparing for the international accreditation of its health sciences training programs by the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME), to ensure that students’ professional and humanitarian qualities meet the current requirements for medical training.
(Media Center)