Postgraduate medical education in Denmark. Present status and perspectives

The Danish Specialist Board--the advisory organ to the National Board of Health in all matters of medical education--was established 50 years ago. In 1979 a complete new scheme of organisation of postgraduate medical education was introduced, now involving political and administrative instances directly in the decisions. The Specialist Board was enlarged and extended with three permanent subcommitees dealing respectively, with evaluation of education and authorization, theoretical education, and clinical education. A description of the various organs and their functions is presented. New rules concerning training within the 20 basic specialties and 19 subspecialties and in general medicine was layed down in 1982. The frames of postgraduate medical education and the main lines in the clinical training course and theoretical programme is described. A series of problems have accumulated over the last 10-15 years, mainly due to developments in medical demography and new conditions for clinical education related to a new agreement between the hospital administrations and the Association of Junior Hospital Doctors. On basis of an analysis made by the Specialist Board a plan has been designed with the purpose to establish a staff reform in the hospital departments and to transform postgraduate clinical education of doctors to a formally planned and supervised programme.