The experience of cardiovascular professional training across europe: preliminary results from the ESC young cardiovascular professionals survey. (14th October 2021) - Castelletti, S
Abstract: Background and aim: There are differences in the training programs among European Countries and some sub-specialities are not even recognized in all the training programs. However, discrepancies amongst the Countries and the needs of the trainees are not well known. As such, a survey on the experience of Cardiovascular Professional Training across Europe was created by the ESC Board Committee for Young Cardiovascular professionals to provide a detailed picture of the training programs in the European Countries with deep insights into the needs and expectations of trainees Methods: Between February and April 2021 a survey with 35 questions on the structure of the training program and on the expectations and needs of the young professionals was launched and advertised through all the official ESC social media and communications channels. Results: 643 under 40-year-old young professionals participated to the survey, 72% cardiologists, 14% other professionals, 3% nurses. The majority of the participants were in practice (59%) and male (57%), mean age was 33 year-old. The current working environment was university hospital (52%), local hospitals (18%), other tertiary locations (13%) and private sector (12%). The majority (54%) of the participants declared not being satisfied with the structure of their training programme and almost all would like a standardised European training programme (94%). The feeling was that more time should be allocated to active participation in interventions (currently 30%, suggested 46%) and that they do not have easy access to all subspecialities (52%). Only 39% of the participants were aware that a 2020 ESC Core curriculum exists and 36% declared that it used in their own Country. Nevertheless, the majority consult the ESC's online education contents (33%, 25% and 17% once per week, per month and per day respectively) and attend Congresses regularly (41% both national and international, 33% only national). Although the majority feel sufficiently recognized for their work by patients, supervisors and society (84%, 65% and 60% respectively), they are unsatisfied from a financial point of view (71%). Conclusions: The majority of the young cardiovascular professionals feel that their training programme is not satisfactory and a standardised European programme should be implemented. However the ESC Core Curriculum is not well known among the young and not widely used in European Countries. These findings suggest more efforts will be needed to implement a standardized training programme by the ESC and national cardiac societies. FUNDunding Acknowledgement: Type of funding sources: None.