On 9 June 2026, a clear milestone marked the end of a long era in Swedish medical education when the final cohort from the 5.5-year Study Programme in Medicine at Karolinska Institutet graduated. At Aula Medica, both current and former staff gathered to recognise an educational model that for decades has shaped a large part of the country's medical profession.
Since the introduction of the internship programme (AT) in 1969, this programme has been a core part of medical training. With the transition to the new six-year medical degree programme leading directly to medical registration, this tradition is now coming to an end, while also placing new demands on collaboration between universities and healthcare services.
The Division of Clinical Geriatrics has played an important role in the training, not least through the close connection between research and clinical practice. Among those attending the ceremony were Gabriela Spulber (course coordinator for semester 6), Maria Eriksdotter and Head of Theme Dorota Religa . Vesna Jelic, former course coordinator, was not present at the event.
The closing ceremony provided both an opportunity to reflect on the past and to look ahead.
At the same time, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to all teachers and supervisors from NVS who over the years have contributed to the quality and development of the programme throughout these decades!
TEXT: Dorota Religa
