2018

It is already apparent today: artificial intelligence (AI) systems have the potential to outperform doctors - to diagnose more accurately in radiology, dermatology and intensive care, to make fundamentally better prognoses and to operate more precisely. In addition, robots can acquire medical knowledge: last year, a robot in China passed the state examination and significantly exceeded the minimum score required.

The doctor of the future is supposed to be digitally savvy, pick up on technologies and deal empathetically with patients. But it is possible that doctors are overwhelmed by the diverse requirements.

The special programme "Human Medicine" was launched in 2017. Its goal is to increase the number of graduates in medicine from 865 in 2014 to 1350 in 2025. As a direct response to this special programme, ETH Zurich has been offering a course of study to obtain a Bachelor's degree in Human Medicine since last autumn. Entry into the Master's programme at a partner university is possible for the first time in autumn 2020.

Last autumn, 100 students began the Bachelor's programme in Human Medicine newly offered by ETH Zurich. The aim of the course is to combine medical topics with technical and scientific aspects and to prepare the future doctors for the rapidly changing challenges in this field. But topics such as empathy and communication are not neglected either. Thanks to an innovative concept and state-of-the-art learning methods, this balancing act should succeed.

Almost 100 Bachelor students of the ETH Medicine programme took part in the examination course "Musculoskeletal system and nervous system" in mid-March 2018. Under the supervision of more than 40 doctors from the Schulthess Clinic, they learned how to perform physical examinations on healthy people. Both lecturers and students were enthusiastic about the course.