Training curriculum for European thoracic surgeons: a joint initiative of the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the European Respiratory Society

In the most recent issue of the European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, the joint task force group on training in thoracic surgery, set up by both the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the European Respiratory Society (ERS), has published the core document describing the recommended training curriculum [1]. This document takes its roots from the European syllabus published in 2018 [2, 3]. According to a methodology validated by education scientists, the working group has described, for each item, the expected level of competence in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes, listed possible learning resources, and recommended appropriate tools for assessment of learning outcomes [4]. The task force group utilised Bloom’s taxonomy to characterise learning domains and Miller’s model of competence for clinical skills [5, 6]. Attitudes and non-technical skills were described according to the CanMEDS physician competency framework edited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada [7, 8].