Abstract
Harmonised education. Valeria Castro
As a member of the Young Talent Group and their delegate in the Education Committee, but especially as a trainee in gastroenterology and PhD student from Sweden, I am very glad to see an increasing awareness of the need for a more harmonised education in UEG countries. You may still ask, why?
As medical research develops in our field of gastroenterology and hepatology we are together expanding our understanding and developing an idea of the ‘gold standard’ for treatment of our patients as well as in how to conduct clinical research. This is a process that occurs in parallel to national and international political decisions. We rely on guidelines written by our associations of expertise, and we communicate with each other to reach consensus. Most aspects of medicine are truly international, and research is exploring the frontier of knowledge. In order to be a future part of that frontier we have to have the basic knowledge of what is expected of us as specialists and researchers in gastroenterology and hepatology. Because of that, it is important to have a ‘gold standard’ not only in how to treat our patients or conduct research, but also for how we should organise our education.
Having proper guidelines that are agreed upon will help us to identify the weak and strong parts in our own clinics. For trainees, this could also help us to recognise our own specific needs for education so that we one day can become the confident and competent specialist we all dream to be.
Having a curriculum as specified in The Blue Book is a great complement to the national curriculum of education in gastroenterology and hepatology. For those who do not have a clear curriculum in their country, do not invent the wheel again. Get inspiration from the work that has already been done!
The trainees that succeed in taking the ESBGH exam can not only be very proud, but can also be confident in the knowledge that they have fulfilled the theory requirements at the level expected of a specialist in their field, acknowledged by an international exam. This will give a good foundation for the continued development of clinical expertise, a foundation for future research efforts if planned, and the possibility of international collaborations. This should be motivation enough to do the ESBGH exam for every trainee in the field of gastroenterology and hepatology!
The European Section and Board of Hepatology – curriculum development and assessment. Isabelle Cremers
The ESBGH curriculum The Blue Book has undergone extensive revision in 2016/2017 and has recently been published (http://www.eubogh.org/blue-book).
Quality standards for trainers and training centres are described in detail. The curriculum is divided into core and advanced components, which are: Advanced interventional endoscopy and ultrasound, GI Oncology, Nutrition and Hepatology.
The aim of the curriculum is to provide a framework to be used by those involved in course commissioning and design, and is recommended to Hospitals and Units seeking approval as ESBGH-recognised training centres.
The ESBGH Examination (http://www.eubogh.org/exam) is now in its fourth year, and is a fully validated high-quality multiple-choice paper consisting of two 100-question papers delivered simultaneously at multiple centres throughout Europe. The examination covers the main subject areas in The Blue Book, as well as European publications and guidelines relevant to GI trainees.
Passing the examination demonstrates a level of knowledge equivalent to a newly qualified specialist Gastroenterologist/Hepatologist.
Detailed analysis of candidate performance has allowed the identification of subject areas, such as Nutrition and GI bleeding, where trainees need more support.
We are now working with the Young GI Group to formally present the examination outcomes at the UEG and provide a forum for discussion of future GI training and assessment.