title: The need for national medical licensing examination in Saudi Arabia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Medical education in Saudi Arabia is facing multiple challenges, including the rapid increase in the number of medical schools over a short period of time, the influx of foreign medical graduates to work in Saudi Arabia, the award of scholarships to hundreds of students to study medicine in various countries, and the absence of published national guidelines for minimal acceptable competencies of a medical graduate.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We are arguing for the need for a Saudi national medical licensing examination that consists of two parts: Part I (Written) which tests the basic science and clinical knowledge and Part II (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) which tests the clinical skills and attitudes. We propose this examination to be mandated as a licensure requirement for practicing medicine in Saudi Arabia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The driving and hindering forces as well as the strengths and weaknesses of implementing the licensing examination are discussed in details in this debate.
authors.affiliation: Medical Education Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. sohail@bajammal.com
authors.forename: Sohail
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bajammal
authors.forename: Rania
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zaini
authors.forename: Wesam
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Abuznadah
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Rukban
authors.forename: Syed Moyn
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Aly
authors.forename: Abdulaziz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boker
authors.forename: Abdulmohsen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Zalabani
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Omran
authors.forename: Amro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Habib
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Sheikh
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Sultan
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fida
authors.forename: Khalid
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Alzahrani
authors.forename: Bashir
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hamad
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al Shehri
authors.forename: Khalid Bin
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Abdulrahman
authors.forename: Saleh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al-Damegh
authors.forename: Mansour M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Al-Nozha
authors.forename: Tyrone
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Donnon
mesh_terms: D000068:Accreditation; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000592:standards; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education; D005550:Foreign Medical Graduates / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000592:standards; D008007:Licensure, Medical / Q000592:standards*; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000592:standards*; D017149:Private Sector; D017150:Public Sector; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D012577:Schools, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D013044:Specialty Boards