Modern anaesthesia training: is it good enough?

Anaesthetic training in the UK has recently experienced significant organizational and politically driven changes. This article examines the effects these changes may have had on the training of anaesthetists and concludes that despite the introduction of changed working patterns and reduced hours over the past decade, academic and professional standards appear to have been maintained, but at the expense of reduced confidence among some trainees. The UK system focuses heavily on achieving competence in different areas of training. While this is clearly important, it understates the added value of consolidation and experience based on repeated exposure. Trainer and trainee surveys suggest that due to perceived service pressures, and worries about patient safety or clinical governance, this important latter stage in professional development is increasingly being omitted from the training programme.