title: Gastroenterology training in Australia: a perspective from the coal face.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Royal Australasian College of Physicians is developing curricula for training.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We surveyed gastroenterology trainees on their training experience to establish whether training needs were being met.
  
  
  METHODS
  An online anonymous survey of all gastroenterology trainees in 2009.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety-one per cent of trainees responded (105/115). Of these, 92% were adult, and 8% were paediatric trainees. Seventy four were core, and 31 were noncore trainees. Of those who had completed core training, the majority (86%) felt that their training had prepared them adequately for independent practice as a gastroenterologist. However, most respondents felt that core advanced training should be 3 years instead of 2 years. The majority (86%) saw a benefit in moving between hospitals during core training. Of the trainees managing inpatients, 57% were managing 10 or more per day, and 63% had three or more consultant ward rounds per week. The top three noncore fellowships were advanced endoscopy (44%), hepatology (28%) and inflammatory bowel disease (17%). Sixty-one per cent and 39% were undertaking a clinical and research fellowship respectively. Seventy-two per cent of core trainees attended up to three endoscopy lists per week, and 76% were on the on-call urgent endoscopy roster. For on-call endoscopy, 27% of third-year noncore trainees and 5% of core trainees were unsupervised.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The majority of trainees felt that their core training would prepare them adequately for independent practice as gastroenterologists. Overall, trainees valued movement between hospitals during training and felt that core training should be 3 years. Some trainees had inadequate consultant support for out-of-hours emergency endoscopy.
authors.affiliation: The Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Peter.DECRUZ@svhm.org.au
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Cruz
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Raftopoulos
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Burgell
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rode
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rosenbaum
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Hebbard
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005762:Gastroenterology / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D008297:Male