Postgraduate Medical Courses: A Trainee Centred Approach

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. BackgroundImplementation of European Working Time Directive has changed the face of postgraduate medical training from a traditional apprentice model to an objective based competency model. In order to attain competencies set out in training curricula, courses have become commonplace. Not surprisingly, the number of medical courses being offered across all specialities has increased dramatically. Nonetheless, with a reduction in future study budgets and a lack of quality control of such courses, trainees can become increasingly demanding on what they seek from a course.AimsTo improve the quality of medical educational courses, the aim of the study was to investigate what trainees desire when attending a medical course. The study also targeted exposing aspects that make the course more experientially valuable for the trainee.MethodsA prospective cross sectional study on trainees attending a National Otolaryngology Course was performed in 2014. Trainees were asked to complete a 31-item questionnaire aimed at capturing: 1) What trainees desired from a course 2) How trainees felt a course is best organised and delivered 3) Confounding factors that affected trainees' perception. The questionnaire was given to all course delegates including Foundation Programme Doctors, Core Surgical Trainees, and General Practice Trainees.ResultsWhat Trainees desired:100% of trainees preferred a one day course compared to courses spanning over multiple days with 70.8% preferring the course conducted during the week. When applying for the course 95.8% preferred an electronic application and 70.8% would preferentially select to pay electronically (as opposed to cash/cheques). 75.0% of trainees would be more likely to consider to attend a course if the fee was ≤£100The delivery of the course:58.3% of trainees would recommend lecture durations of approximately 30 minutes, while 75.0% would recommend OSCE stations to run between 10-15minutes.Major confounding factors:The quality of the catering was found to be one of the confounding factors with 75.0% of trainees acknowledging that the quality of the catering would have an affect on their perception of the course. 70.2% of trainees recognised that the geographic location of the course would also play a role in their perception of the course.ConclusionCourses will continue to remain an imperative aspect of the trainees' training as it allows trainees to fulfil necessary requirements for progression, demonstrate a commitment to speciality and willingness to keep up-to-date with current practice. We present this list of aspects for organisers to consider prior to establishing further courses to help drive and improve their quality. The study has given trainees a voice on their preferences and expectations when attending such courses and we aspire trainees to reflect and demand more from their course organisers.