General biology = cell biology, which has 2-3 prerequesits.

General chemistry = parts 1 and 2

Organic chemistry = parts 1 and 2

General calculus = parts 1 and 2

General physics = parts 1 and 2

Now I still don’t think the pre-recs should be lessened, but it’s more classes than you think it is.

general chemistry
organic chemistry
general biology
general physics
general calculus

five courses. that’s it. not much.

English doesn’t count, as it’s usually required to graduate. Same with any foreign language requirement. Personally, I don’t think that’s very much.

Is it really asking too much that the doctor know the body of knowledge of general and organic chemistry, general physics, and general biology? To know the difference between a nucleus and a cytoplasm?

At least enough chemistry that the pharmacology makes basic sense, and is something more than memorization?

Of those five…..what would you want to eliminate?

Not that I’m trying to defend organic chemistry in particular. I wonder if a big part of that course is a measurement of the ability to absorb and synthesize knowledge. It could just as easily be Latin or Mandarin Chinese. Or make it through Marine boot camp. Anyone who makes it through basic training has the ability to survive the physical and mental rigors of medical education, assuming the ability to absorb the scientific information.

Undergraduate major made no difference in the early-mid 1970′s (the first time I felt a need to check), it hadn’t changed in the 1980′s, and apparently hasn’t changed today. In fact, I wonder if a major in French literature makes you stand out from the same old boring biology premed major.

http://www.miamimd.net

But who would you teach those intro classes to, then? The “suck up pre meds” at least give someone a paycheck for the trouble.

As for knowledge of pharmacokinetics, its usefulness on a day-to-day basis is for many practitioners about as useful as optics or electronics. Are you suggesting they would be better off with no exposure at all?

And as for “sucking up”, but for that no one might pay you any attention at all.

yes, but this discussion is about the prerequisite science classes that everyone has to take, regardless of major. these would be gen chem, organic chem, physics, gen biology, and some english and math classess, too.

It has nothing to do with whether someone has a Chemistry major or a Radio Broadcasting major.

As far as pharmacology, how many MDs actually know anything about kinetics?

yes

Are you talking about physicians with Commonwealth-type MBBS or MBBCh degrees? Technically those are first university degrees (albeit longer courses than four years, more likely 5-6), but they are taken after GSCE AS/A level examinations. That is generally a more advanced achievement than American high school diplomas are, more similar to an International Baccalaureate or one to two years of U.S. university work. My point is that those physician graduates have similar numbers of years of education as do American graduates.
As an American graduate from a well-regarded university, I have found many of those “FMGs” to have been enviably well-educated.