Aim:

To analyse the distribution of general and specific research competences in Medicine Degrees.

Subjects and methods:

Verification reports, subject sheets and information included in the RUCT were used as documentary bases for the study. The general and specific competences analysed were those contained in the legislation ECI 332/2008. As research subjects were considered those that mentioned research in their name, and as complementary subjects those related with the research process.

Results:

Medicine Degree is taught at 40 universities across Spain, with 49 research subjects: 22.5% core, 40.8% mandatory and 36.7% optional. Ninety-one complementary subjects have been identified: 46.1% core, 41.8% mandatory and 12.1% optional. General research competences were found to a greater extent in subjects related to the module 'Social Medicine, Communication Skills and Initiation to Research' and the module 'Clinical Clerkships and Degree Final Project'. The specific competences were focused on modules 'Social Medicine' and 'Optional'. Several degrees analysed did not assign competences of research to the degree final project, neither general (n = 11) nor specific (n = 30) competences. However, other degrees assigned competences of research attributed to general and specific research competences with a distribution of sixteen and five, respectively.

Conclusions:

The distribution of competences and the presence of research subjects across Medicine Degrees in Spain was very heterogeneous. Surprisingly, only in a few universities the degree final project has a clear research orientation, suggesting a main focus on clinical medicine. Medicine Degree are not oriented to research.

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