WHY POSTGRADUATE TRAINING PROGRAMMES IN THE UK ARE SO INCOMPETENT, By Dr M Al Ruby

Not Paiced

It is about time that the training programmes for Medical Post Graduates are changed to become comparable to the USA/Canadian Training programmes.

Why should the trainee in the UK apply, after every few months or few years, for more posts? This uproots the doctors family and himself necessarily.

Now, it is more sensible that the system should be changed to simulate the USA and Canadian Programmes. These adopt the graduates from year 1 until he/she has finished his/her training programme year 3-4 5-or 6 and to whatever specialty the programmes leads to.

At the end of the training the trainee would have been expected to have passed his specialty exam and subsequently identifies himself as a competent specialist in that field.

The Specialist would then choose either to practice from his private rooms or in conjunction with a hospital appointment.

All European countries graduates should be given similar programmes in the whole of Europe.All Royal Colleges examinations should to be canceled and substituted by clinical feedback from hospital programmes and the direct clinical supervisors during the training. Specialty papers should be in multiple choice or a variety of different tests.

The Royal College Exams ( which are an Honorary degree) should not to continue to become the criteria for specialisation in Medicine and Surgery. This should be replaced by a proper academic degree like Masters and Doctorate Degrees.

It is about time that clinical research is substantiated by the Gov provide opportunity to graduates of Medicine to involve themselves in preparing academic degrees such as Masters and Phd's. Once this happens medicine would solve many more ailments and there would be a real upturn in curing many diseases. This lacks in the system today in areas like treating depression some killers like diabetes, cancer, strokes and heart disease. One of the most common causes of acquired blindness is Diabetic Retinopathy; it is a shame that the only treatment available to date is the laser destruction of as much possible of the retina in order to preserve the central vision. It is clear that progress in clinical science has not been made and this may be due to the type and nature of postgraduate training doctors receive.

Dr M A Ruby.

Related Links

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