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The GMC has poured cold water on proposals for three-year accelerated medical degrees for graduates. The council has, however, indicated "a willingness in principle to agree to a four-year course for such students".

The GMC's decision will come as a setback to London's St George's Hospital Medical School, which had proposed a three-year medical degree for graduates, including those in non-science subjects. The school says it will now look at the costs of a four-year course, adding that it could still be on target for a 1999 start. Other schools are also considering such courses.

The Medical Workforce Standing Advisory Committee recommended last December that the United Kingdom train 1,000 extra doctors a year and develop clinical courses for graduate entry. But the GMC's education committee this week "counselled caution in relation to accelerated programmes for graduate entry".