Objective: To investigate what aspects of the new curriculum for specialist training in Emergency Medicine are actually implemented in daily practice.
Design: Descriptive study.
Method: The curriculum was implemented as a pilot in 4 teaching hospitals, where a total of 32 residents in training in Emergency Medicine and 20 Emergency Medicine Program directors and Emergency physicians were surveyed using a web-based questionnaire querying the use of the different aspects of the curriculum in daily practice.
Results: Responses were received from 29 residents in training and 15 program directors and Emergency physicians. Both residents in training and program directors rated the patient mix seen during the training programme adequate to excellent. No great differences were observed in how residents in training, trainers and physicians working in the Emergency Department assessed the curriculum. However, the results showed that the training plan should be discussed explicitly with each residents in training. More attention should be focussed on the Society Awareness, Knowledge and Science and Organisation competencies and the Disability and Dermatology themes. Competence-based assessment methods, such as multi-source feedback, specific to this type of curriculum have not yet been sufficiently implemented.
Conclusion: The responses to the questionnaire demonstrated how the curriculum is handled in daily practice and provided information on the progress of the implementation of the curriculum. This will enable focussed feedback to teaching hospitals.