OTORHINOLARYNGOLOGICAL TRAINING IN EUROPE - A COMPARATIVE-STUDY

Postgraduate training in the United Kingdom is undergoing radical chan ges following the 'Calman Report'. Commissioned in response to a Europ ean Union (EU) Directive. this contained recommendations to allow reci procal recognition of all EU trained specialists. We present the findi ngs of a, postal questionnaire sent to representatives of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies and the utolaryngolo gy professors of the UK and Ireland with a response I ate of 67.7%. As pects assessed included clinical and surgical experience, examinations , teaching, research, length, regulation and perception of training. T he programmes share similar teaching and research experience but subst antial differences exist in most other areas. The accredited UK traine e has a much wider clinical and surgical repertoire than those from th e Continent. Greek trainees were trained to the lowest minimum standar d. The requirements of a training system are largely determined by the revel of clinical experience and surgical skill required by an indepe ndent specialist in a given country.