RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Medical education and society JF Canadian Medical Association Journal JO CMAJ FD Canadian Medical Association SP 1433 OP 1436 VO 153 IS 10 A1 T. J. Murray YR 1995 UL http://www.cmaj.ca/content/153/10/1433.abstract AB As health care changes under the pressures of restraint and constraint our vision of the future of medical education should be based on the medical school's responsibility to the community. The medical school is "an academy in the community": as an academy, it fosters the highest standards in education and research; as an institution in the community, it seeks to improve public health and alleviate suffering. The author argues that to better achieve these goals medical schools need to become more responsible and responsive to the population they serve. Medical schools have been slow to accept fully the social contract by which, in return for their service to society, they enjoy special rights and benefits. This contract requires that medical educators listen to the public, talk honestly and constructively with government representatives and assess the needs and expectations of the community.