THORACIC MEDICINE

Components of Training

Research
It is strongly recommended that trainees undertake a significant research project during their training in order to understand and apply appropriate research methodologies in laboratory and clinical settings, and to become actively involved in research activities including quality assurance. Experience should be gained in study design; literature research and review; writing submissions for grant funding and ethics committee approval; data collection; storage and analysis; and computer program evaluation for results analysis, statistics and graphics. Success in these activities is demonstrated by publication or presentation of a significant project at a national or international meeting.

Training Posts
Centres at which programs of advanced training in thoracic medicine are undertaken ideally should have the following:

• A full-time staff thoracic physician or full-time equivalent by visiting thoracic physicians.
  
• Opportunity for the trainee to acquire broad clinical experience in respiratory diseases as well as relevant aspects of immunology, epidemiology, pathology, microbiology and pharmacology.
  
• Facilities for the performance of fibreoptic bronchoscopy, nuclear medicine studies, thoracic surgery and acute respiratory intensive care, as well as relevant clinics in thoracic oncology and immunology.
  
• A respiratory function laboratory with facilities for spirometry and for measurements of absolute lung volumes, gas transfer, arterial blood gas tensions, pulmonary and respiratory muscle mechanics, and the cardiopulmonary response to exercise.
  
• A facility for the investigation and management of respiratory sleep disorders.
  · Regular clinical respiratory meetings designated for teaching and for consultation with related disciplines.
  
• Library facilities with ready access to all major respiratory journals and texts, and to literature search facilities such as Medline.
  Training posts will generally be evaluated at regular intervals and may be designated as suitable for limited periods of training.

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