Objective  To evaluate the outcomes and challenges of China's 8-year clinical medicine programs and to discuss preliminary suggestions and reflections on the reform of 8-year clinical medicine programs in line with the requirements of the New Medical Education Initiative.

Methods A nationwide survey was conducted to cover 680 graduates of 8-year clinical medicine programs. All participants graduated from 8-year programs in the past decade. Participants responded to a questionnaire on their career development. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify the core factors affecting the career development of 8-year program graduates. In addition, 30 participants were selected to participate in an intensive interview.

Results  A total of 676 valid responses were collected in this study, yielding a response rate of 99.41%. Among the participants, females slightly outnumbered males, accounting for 57.40% (388/676). In terms of subspecialty choices, surgery was the most popular, accounting for 35.21% (238/676), followed by internal medicine, which accounted for 16.12% (109/676). Self-assessed job competency ratings showed that 56.12% (348/620) felt competent, while 0.65% (4/620) reported being completely incompetent. In terms of employment status, 91.72% (620/676) of the participants completed their studies on time, 88.61% (599/676) were awarded diplomas as scheduled, and 91.72% (620/676) entered the healthcare industry, with 97.9% (607/620) working in tertiary-care hospitals. Regarding career development, by the tenth year after graduation, 89.13% (41/46) attained mid-level or senior professional titles. In terms of job satisfaction, 67.30% (455/676) reported moderate or higher levels of job satisfaction. In terms of academic achievements, the median number of papers published by the participants between graduation and the tenth year after graduation was 6, with a median of 5 papers published in journals included in the Science Citation Index (SCI). The quantity of publications and the length of time after graduation significantly correlated with professional advancement (P < 0.05). According to the interview results, 83.33% (25/30) of the participants suggested that research training should be increased and 60% (18/30) stated that interdisciplinary skills development should be prioritized.

Conclusion A high proportion of graduates from 8-year clinical medical programs become highly competent professionals with good employment prospects, strong self-efficacy, and favorable career trajectories. However, the participants are disproportionately concentrated in certain subspecialties. Furthermore, other issues, such as the conflict between curricular time constraints and the graduates' desire to strengthen research training, as well as insufficient interdisciplinary preparation, require collaborative solutions from the government, universities, and medical institutions.