The doctor of the future must also be a bit of an engineer!

Prof. Haydar Sur, stating that medical education is not easy and this difficulty is necessary to train physicians who will be entrusted with human life, said, "Training physicians who prioritize respect for human beings and adhere to legal and ethical principles is one of the most important responsibilities of medical education."

Expressing that artificial intelligence and digitalization have fundamentally changed medicine, Prof. Sur said, "Now, being a doctor has approached engineering a bit, and engineering has approached being a doctor a bit. Health technologies, artificial intelligence, and robotic systems have become an inseparable part of the healthcare sector." 

Prof. Sur stated, "The doctors of the future must not only be good doctors but also professionals who can interpret technology, work with data, and collaborate with different disciplines."
 

Prof. Haydar Sur, Dean of the Üsküdar University Faculty of Medicine, evaluated the challenges of medical education, the requirements for being a good physician, and the impact of artificial intelligence on medical education. 

Being a doctor is not easy

Prof. Haydar Sur, stating that medical education is not easy but this difficulty is necessary to train physicians who will be entrusted with human life, said, "We founded the Üsküdar University Faculty of Medicine 10 years ago. Thankfully, we have graduated two cohorts. Medical education is truly a challenging process. Training good physicians requires sacrifice and effort. We also went through the same difficulties during our student years. Being a doctor is not easy." 

The relationship established with students directly determines the quality of education

Prof. Sur, stating that the relationship established with students directly determines the quality of education, pointed out that science and technology are undergoing a dizzying transformation, especially in the 21st century, and noted that the understanding of education has also changed. Sur said, "Education is no longer a one-way process. Learning and teaching require mutual interaction. Young people have fresher minds, different perspectives, and strong energy. While we impart years of experience to them, they bring us their new ideas and dynamism. Üsküdar University Faculty of Medicine, despite its relatively short 10-year history, attracts great interest from prospective students and their families. During the preference periods, I encountered many prospective students who were saddened, even shed tears, because they could not get into our faculty. I often wished we had the quota to accept them too. However, we can only admit students within the framework of quotas and success rankings."

Accessing information is no longer as difficult as it used to be

Prof. Sur, stating that technical knowledge alone is not sufficient in medicine, said, "Today, accessing information is no longer as difficult as it used to be. Thanks to the internet, digital resources, and artificial intelligence, we can access information in seconds. However, medicine is not just about having knowledge. What is truly important is the ability to use that knowledge correctly in front of the patient. This skill cannot be learned from the internet or artificial intelligence. It can only be acquired through a master-apprentice relationship. How to approach a patient, how to speak to them, how to gain their trust is not written in books. 'Do you have any pain?' even has a style to its question. If you cannot ask it correctly, the patient might not even express the pain they are truly experiencing. In medicine, communication and approach are at least as important as medical knowledge. Therefore, being a good mentor and role model for students is of great value."

The goal is to train physicians who love people, approach their patients with compassion, and are committed to ethical values

Prof. Haydar Sur also emphasized that having a strong character is the most valuable quality today, saying, "We don't just impart medical knowledge to our students. We also strive to train physicians who love people, approach their patients with compassion, and do not compromise on ethical values. The master-apprentice relationship not only teaches the technical aspects of the profession but also shows what it means to be a good physician. Students observe this in their mentors and carry it into their professional lives, reflecting it onto their own patients. Training physicians who prioritize respect for human beings and adhere to legal and ethical principles is one of the most important responsibilities of medical education." 

Prof. Sur stated that medicine is not just about treating illness, adding, "A good doctor treats the illness. An excellent doctor, however, treats the person alongside the illness. They alleviate the patient's anxiety, give them confidence, and offer hope. During illness, people wonder, 'Am I in good hands?' That is the true measure of being a good doctor." 

"We provide education together in private and public hospitals"

"The most important difference that distinguishes one medical faculty from others is the practical training that begins in the fourth year. The crucial point is in which hospital, with which academic staff, and on which patient groups the prospective physician converts their theoretical knowledge into practice," said Prof. Sur, noting that Üsküdar University's applied education model offers significant advantages, and they value their students' experience with different patient profiles and healthcare service processes in public hospitals.

 "We do not burden our students with unnecessary exam stress"

Prof. Sur also touched upon the differences in Üsküdar University's education model, stating, "In many faculties, students take a single final exam covering thousands of pages of material at the end of the year. We have divided this into two. The fall semester and spring semester are evaluated separately. This way, students prepare more healthily and do not lose the entire year if they fail."

"The doctor of the future must also be a bit of an engineer"

Prof. Sur, stating that artificial intelligence and digitalization have fundamentally changed medicine, continued:

"In the 21st century, medicine is undergoing a transformation unlike any previous era. Artificial intelligence and digital technologies have fundamentally altered the field of health. Medicine is becoming increasingly personalized. While similar treatments were applied to similar diseases in the past, today, with AI-supported analyses, personalized treatment plans can be created based on each patient's genetic makeup, biological characteristics, and needs. These developments have virtually opened the door to a new era in medicine."

Sur stated that engineering is now approaching medicine, and medicine is approaching engineering, saying, "Indeed, it is no longer possible for today's physician to be content with medical knowledge alone. They need to be equipped to understand digital health technologies, artificial intelligence, and data-driven systems. Similarly, it is of great importance for engineers developing technology in the health sector to have a basic level of medical knowledge. This is because the healthcare sector is one of the areas where the most advanced technologies developed are used most intensively. Apart from space technologies, most of the world's most advanced technologies are used in healthcare. From imaging systems to drug development, from robotic surgery to scientific research, the healthcare field is at the center of technological transformation."

"We offer our students the opportunity to minor in computer engineering"

Prof. Sur also explained that they have added the Health Technologies course to the curriculum and made it mandatory for all students, saying, "We also offer our students the opportunity to minor in computer engineering. This way, while receiving medical education, they can also develop themselves in software and engineering. During preference periods, many of our very successful students often come to us with the question, 'Should I be a doctor or an engineer?' I advise them, 'Become a doctor, and then minor in computer engineering. Specialize in health technologies. When you combine medical knowledge with engineering, you gain a significant advantage.' The successful people of our age are no longer those who specialize in a single field; they are individuals who can bring different disciplines together and think in a multifaceted way. The doctors of the future must not only be good doctors but also professionals who can interpret technology, work with data, and collaborate with different disciplines."