AIMS: As part of the EAPCI Young Initiative, the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI) conducted a survey to address the educational needs of young interventional cardiologists. METHODS AND RESULTS: A questionnaire was distributed to all individuals registered in the ESC database aged <36 years with an interest in interventional cardiology. Nearly two-thirds of participants (60%) indicated that they had difficulty in finding a fellowship training position. The desire for a fellow's course at European level was expressed by 95%, while 94% were in favour of developing a network of young interventional cardiologists in Europe. More than three-quarters of respondents (79%) said they had had difficulty in obtaining funding to attend EuroPCR. Multiple difficulties were identified in setting up a research programme, two of the more frequent being problematic access to research networks and the difficulties of finding a mentor. Career orientation was identified as another issue, with more than half of respondents (59%) declaring they followed career options by chance. CONCLUSIONS: The survey underlines the need to fill a gap in order to address the needs of young interventional cardiologists. It may serve as a starting point for developing educational initiatives targeted at young interventional cardiologists.
AIMS: As part of the EAPCI Young Initiative, the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI) conducted a survey to address the educational needs of young interventional cardiologists. METHODS AND RESULTS: A questionnaire was distributed to all individuals registered in the ESC database aged <36 years with an interest in interventional cardiology. Nearly two-thirds of participants (60%) indicated that they had difficulty in finding a fellowship training position. The desire for a fellow's course at European level was expressed by 95%, while 94% were in favour of developing a network of young interventional cardiologists in Europe. More than three-quarters of respondents (79%) said they had had difficulty in obtaining funding to attend EuroPCR. Multiple difficulties were identified in setting up a research programme, two of the more frequent being problematic access to research networks and the difficulties of finding a mentor. Career orientation was identified as another issue, with more than half of respondents (59%) declaring they followed career options by chance. CONCLUSIONS: The survey underlines the need to fill a gap in order to address the needs of young interventional cardiologists. It may serve as a starting point for developing educational initiatives targeted at young interventional cardiologists.
Authors: Giuseppe Biondi-Zoccai; Enrico Cerrato; Mariangela Peruzzi; Fabrizio D'Ascenzo; Elena De Falco; Isotta Chimenti; Sebastiano Sciarretta; Antonino G M Marullo; Elena Cavarretta; Ernesto Greco; Umberto Benedetto; Giulio Pompilio; Javier Escaned; Antonio Abbate; Alain Carpentier; Juan Carlos Chachques; Giacomo Frati Journal: PLoS One Date: 2015-07-17 Impact factor: 3.240