Continuing medical education in Europe.

Abstract

1. Robert A. Holl 1. President, CESP, Member, Pediatrics in Review Editorial Board The Confederation of European Specialists in Pediatrics (CESP) represents all pediatricians in the 15 member countries of the European Union (EU) plus Norway and Switzerland. The formation of the EU had many political and economic consequences: disappearing borders, free traffic between countries, and one currency. Apart from the many advantages, there also are many problems, such as in the field of medicine. Because there is free travel and national recognition of training programs as valid in all member states, medical doctors can work wherever they like without taking an examination to prove their quality. Pediatric training programs in Europe at this moment are not comparable in quality or content. The primary objective of CESP is to harmonize the training programs in all the member countries and set standards for quality control of training centers, training programs, and trainees. Most member states of the EU already have accepted and introduced the CESP training program, a 5-year course that has basic pediatric training during the first 3 years and an additional training period of 2 years in either primary, secondary, or tertiary care. At the same time, CESP has started to develop …