[Medical practitioner status subject to regular examinations].
Patients demand that their doctors receive regular certification, just like the pilots of the aircrafts they travel on. There are many arguments against regular certification: having the correct attitude and other skills are far more important than knowledge; immediate knowledge is not necessary because doctors can easily look up the knowledge they need; continuing education renders regular certification unnecessary; it is impossible to put together the right exams for doctors. This article argues that the right attitude can never be a substitute for knowledge, that immediate knowledge is essential in treating acute illnesses in busy departments, that continuing education is no guarantee that knowledge has been acquired at all and finally that it obviously should be possible, albeit difficult, to formulate suitable questions for regular doctors' exams.
Academisch Medisch Centrum/Universiteit van Amsterdam, afd. Inwendige Geneeskunde, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. J.B.Hoekstra@amc.uva.nl
Joost B L
JB
Hoekstra
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002568:Certification; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D009426:Netherlands