Abstract: The COVID-19 has prompted the community to examine and to reflect on the future reform of medical education in China with a more forward-looking and scientific attitude. Problems in the current academic degree system of medical education include the coexistence of multiple academic degrees, the long training process, and the urgent need to optimize the training connotation. Compared with the medical education models of the United States, Britain and Japan, China should establish unified medical education system and independent degrees in medical education. Based on the current “5+3” medical education model in China, we should further unify the degree system of medical education and promote the reform program initiated by the government named ‘new medical education’ with the “5+3” integration project. The connotation, objectives and teaching methods of medical education should be systematically adjusted, optimized and reformed in the 8-year overall school system, and the degree system should be further unified. The “5+3” integration project and 8-year project should be granted to the independently established medical doctor's degree (MD), which would enhance the attractiveness of medical education to talented students and would be more conductive to the training of medical talents with multi-disciplinary background and global competitiveness.

Key words: medical education,  educational system,  academic degree,  “5+3”