Fasa University Medical School: a novel experience in medical education

In early 1970`s A combination of a shortage and misdistribution of health services and growing public dissatisfaction about the health care available, along with increasing expectations, has put great strain on the mind of the staff of the Department of Medicine Shiraz University School of Medicine, the medical school was known as a center of excellence for physician training. The school also got its reputation for its well-trained faculty, a fulltime system. English was the media of instruction and facilities were up to date. The Government of Iran, relatively prosperous with the sudden increase of oil price embarked on massive importation of foreign doctors, which did not, eased the aforementioned problem (1, 2). The Fasa Medical School was conceived, to address health needs of majority of population residing in rural and small communities, by training both medical doctor and other health personnel, based on the philosophy of community orientation, problembased learning and student-based curriculum, combined with innovations in staff and student selection and training (3). The purpose of this report is to give an account of what was originally planned and what has happened since the start of Fasa Medical School in April 1978.