According to this column by Dean Olle Larkö, Gothenburg’s first clinical PhD program will be ready to go within a year or two. Postgraduate studies play a vital role in broadening the horizons of doctors.
Sunday’s edition of Kaliber on Swedish Public Radio (link to broadcast) explored the lack of postgraduate studies among Swedish doctors and the ramifications of inadequate expertise. Assistant Dean Eric Hanse and I were among the interviewees. While I have made it eminently clear that postgraduate studies for doctors are one of my consuming passions, I think that Kaliber went a bit too far this time. Doctors certainly make poor decisions every once in a while due to lack of knowledge, but I not believe that there is connection at this point between the number of malpractice complaints and inadequate postgraduate training. However, nobody can deny that the issue needs to be monitored carefully.
Our failure to place greater demands on doctors remains a serious problem. The education system suffers from a gap when doctors are between the ages of 35-65 and must take their own initiative to pursue further studies.
Swedish authorities have shown no signs so far that they intend to start holding doctors to the kinds of standards that many other countries have had in place for a long time. Nevertheless, providers who want doctors to upgrade their skills as a way of ensuring more reliable care will soon have a greater opportunity to achieve their purpose. The Västra Götaland Region is planning to take over the old Nordic School of Public Health premises at Nya Varvet in order to offer clinical PhD programs as an extension of the hospital’s courses for residents. In collaboration with the region and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, we are working on the front lines. Nobody is more suited to the task than the Sahlgrenska Academy faculty, and I anticipate that we will be supplying much of the knowledge even though the region will be in charge of the actual programs. We will start off by calling on the services of our current staff but are open to hiring new people if the need arises. There is no doubt in my mind that the initial programs in the field of internal medicine will be successful and attract students from around the country.
Our PhD program is already contributing mightily to improving the skills of Swedish doctors. The program sharpens the mind and encourages healthy skepticism. It is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for a doctor to probe the depths of her discipline, conduct original research and make new discoveries. A doctor with a PhD is a better practitioner than ever before. My personal view is that all good doctors should set their sights on obtaining a PhD before the age of 45.