Reports and recommendations on the teaching of and training in gastroenterology in South America

This report is based on information obtained from the medical education associations of Brazil, Colombia, and Chile. It seems that a similar policy is followed by the other countries of Latin America. The aim of the undergraduate teaching is the training of a general physician. The teaching of subspecialities is just a part of internal medicine. The education and training program should take this interrelationship into account, to prepare a general physician concerned with the biopsychosocial unity of the patient. The students must be trained for the diagnosis and management of the commonest disorders of the alimentary tract. As a speciality, gastroenterology education starts after graduation, in a 2-year program of medical residency, following a 1-year training in internal medicine. In Brazil there are courses for graduates following the medical residency program, to prepare for master's and doctor's degrees.