[Advanced Training Curriculum at the Eye Center, University of Freiburg]

Since 2006, at the Eye Center, University of Freiburg, an advanced-training curriculum has been used for medical specialists in ophthalmology. This training curriculum was evaluated for the years 2006 until 2017.

Internal quality management documents were worked through on the subject of training curriculum. Moreover, we analyzed the internet presence of the Eye Center Freiburg as well as its presentation of the training curriculum and the generally accessible annual reports. Furthermore, administrative personnel data were provided. Quantitative analyses were made with Microsoft Excel.

A medical specialist's career is organized as follows: 1) Structured application procedure with evaluation through the Head of the Department, the section heads and the resident's representative. 2) Initial training through medical colleagues and a mentor. 3) Rotation through all sections and areas. 4a) Annual appraisal interviews. 4b) Definition of a career pathway after 3 years. 5) Regular participation in internal/external training sessions. 6) Research after 3 months. 7) Possibility of work shadowing in practices in the 5th year. For reconciling of work and family life, parental leave and part-time employment are possible. In the years between 2006 and 2017, the analyzed data show an increasing number of job interviews and employees. All interns reached the specialist qualification in ophthalmology during the investigation period, 48% additionally got the Fellow of the European Board of Ophthalmology (FEBO).

Since 2006, a structured curriculum has existed for the training of medical specialists in ophthalmology at the Eye Center Freiburg. This is well documented on the homepage as well as in the internal quality management manual. The transparency, paired with the quality of the training program, leads to an increasing number of employees as well as the number of employees with specialist medical qualifications. This can be seen as an indicator for a successful curriculum which secures medical care and research.