The urgent need to enhance and expand opportunities for developing the next generation of academic obstetricians and gynaecologists is widely acknowledged both within the specialty and as one of a number of declining clinical academic specialties within the UK. The advent of PMETB, MMC and the new programme of “Walport” academic training posts provides a timely and in some respects unique opportunity to develop an academic curriculum to go alongside the new clinical curriculum being presented by the RCOG to PMETB.
The academic curriculum assumes that academic trainees will acquire at least equivalent clinical knowledge; skills and attitudes expected of non academic trainees and in that respect is complementary.
What it does is to provide for the first time, a clear pathway, which an academic trainee would follow, and a set of competences that s/he would be expected to accomplish. The pathway illustrated below is based on the “Walport” model but recognises the particular needs of trainees in Obstetrics & Gynaecology. The pathway allows continuous academic endeavour throughout training and permits flexibility with regard to the entry point.