European core curriculum - the students' perspective, Bristol, UK, 10 July 2006

The International Federation of Medical Students' Associations ( IFMSA) and the European Medical Students' Association ( EMSA) are proud to present the first outcome- based core curriculum for medicine from the perspective of the medical students of Europe. It covers 76 learning outcomes grouped around nine domains: ( 1) Clinical Skills, ( 2) Communication, ( 3) Critical Thinking, ( 4) Health in Society, ( 5) Lifelong Learning, ( 6) Professionalism - Attitudes, Responsibilities, and Self- development, ( 7) Teaching, ( 8) Teamwork, and ( 9) Theoretical knowledge. The statement is a result of a long process of international workshops, conferences, and discussions on numerous meetings for medical students and health- care professionals all over Europe. Previous conferences resulted in widely recognized policy statements on the 'Bologna Declaration and Medical Education' and 'Quality Assurance in Medical Schools' ( Westbye 2004; IFMSA/ EMSA 2005). We hope that our European core curriculum from the students' perspective may serve as a foundation for the development of outcome- based core curricula all over Europe, enhancing mobility of students and graduates and promoting excellent health care in the future.