Part-time higher professional training: an analysis of content.

Programmes for higher professional training (HPT) must be approved by the Joint Committee for Higher Training of Anaesthetists (JCHTA). The way in which these plans materialise into fact is however not necessarily analysed. A record has been kept of 2 years part-time work (equivalent to 1 year full-time for accreditation) and the content of this training is analysed. Altogether 1387 patients were treated and 38% of this work was supervised. Emergency cases totalled 4.2% and 200 regional anaesthetic blocks were performed. It is suggested that elements of training other than time spent in the operating theatre could be recognised in a more standardised fashion for the purpose of determining the necessary duration of HPT.