Training doctors in the new English NHS: Political correctness or evidence based education?
BMJ 2006; 333 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.333.7558.99 (Published 06 July 2006) Cite this as: BMJ 2006;333:99
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As a driver of a Nissan Micra, I would not like a Rolls Royce even if
I were given one for free. My small compact car is ideal for the purpose
for which I use it, namely city centre travel. It`s easy to manoeuvre and
park, cheap to run, has low emissions etc. So if MMC produces doctors who
are fit for purpose, like my Micra, surely that is what we want?
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests
Cooper raises an intersting point in her letter that the educational
culture now emphasises competency rather than excellence. MMC propsoses
an entirely competency based training with a rigid training structure with
little room for individual variation. For instance, a large number of
doctors currently complete MRCP and medical rotations before entering into
anaesthetic/ITU SHO rotations. It would seem logical to suppose that these
doctors are able to bring expertise into these training jobs that can only
be gained with experience. MMC will make this impossible.
A member of the MMC guidance committee in my area has been quoted as
saying that trusts 'don't want a fleet of Rolls Royces' with the clear
inference that it is recognised that MMC will produce less expert doctors.
I fear that this attitude is symptomatic of the deprofessionalisation
of medicine and only by making these wideheld concerns known do we stand a
chance of saving our profession.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests
sickening
I find it absolutely unacceptable to state that we do not have a
place for expert doctors in our society any more and that average doctors
are all we need. Britain has been at the forefront of not only delivering
health care for free to its citizens but also been a leader in
'developing' medicine. We need to have experts as they are the ones who
try to show us the way forwards. I have always tried my best not just to
procure and deliver services but to develop them and fashion them. Hats
off to Rolls Royces, they are a symbol of first class British Engineering
and earns the exchequer valuable money to sustain the poorly managed NHS.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests