Outpatient Clinics: A Lost Training Opportunity?

As a consequence of the introduction of the European Working Time Regulations and the New Deal, there has been a significant reduction in the number of hours worked by surgical trainees in the UK and Europe. A number of studies have highlighted how reduced working hours have negatively affected operative exposure in surgical specialties. Surgical training requires the accumulation of increasingly complex technical competencies. In order to produce a complete surgeon, these competencies must be complemented by non-technical skills. Traditionally, these have been acquired through ward and outpatient experience without strict time limitation. With reduced daytime clinical experience, not only will there be a reduction in technical skills training but inevitably reduced outpatient clinic (OPC) experience.