SURVEY OF SURGICAL TRAINING IN EUROPE

The Permanent Working Group of European Junior Hospital Doctors (PWG) conducted a survey among surgical trainees in member countries with th e aim of describing postgraduate training in surgery throughout Europe . In each country, 10 trainees with surgical training of 2-5 years and 10 trainees with surgical training of 6-9 years answered a questionna ire, completed a diary and kept a log book of operations for 1 week. A total of 165 surgeons from 12 countries completed the survey. A train ee had to care for an average patient load varying from 30 to 80 patie nts at any one time. The average number of working hours ranged from 5 2 to 88 h per week, including up to 18 h of unpaid work. The different tasks carried out within these working hours varied considerably, as did the proportion of tasks with educational value. Trainees participa ted in four to 11 major operations each week, but the number of operat ions a week did not reflect the number of operations conducted under s upervision. In some countries, the majority of the trainees stated tha t they received their training mainly through unsupervised experience. The average number of days spent on courses and congresses varied fro m 4 to 15 days per year, with great variation in the percentage of exp enses paid. Countries with favourable working conditions, such as fewe r working hours, shorter shifts and a day off after being on duty, see med to have gained these advantages by a reduction in working hours wi th educational value, rather than by a reduction in routine work. It i s concluded that conditions of surgical training vary greatly between the European countries in relation to duration, working hours, tasks u ndertaken, and resources used on training. Every country is capable of improving its surgical training.