Training in nutrition for medical residents in endocrinology and nutrition: How have we changed?

Objective: Our aim is to assess the changes in clinical nutrition and dietetics education of the residents in endocrinology and nutrition for the last 10 years.

Methods: During the yearly update course in Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics held by SEEN, a survey about medical training is conducted since 2006. Descriptive data for the last 10 years are reported.

Results: Every hospital accredited for medical training in endocrinology and nutrition has a unit of nutrition, depending on endocrinology and nutrition departments in 94.5%. While 13.3% of the residents required a different hospital for training in nutrition in 2006, all of them had enough resources in their own hospital in 2018. The training started in their third year of residency in 62.6%. The rotation has been increasing its length and now it lasts 6 months for 66% of the residents. 41.9% of the residents think it should be longer than 6 months. Education in dietetics should be extended the most. The residents take part in study protocols or publications in 72.5%, against only 27.9% in 2009. There is still a percentage of 10.1% to 19% of the residents grading their training in nutrition as insufficient.

Conclusion: The residents consider their global training in nutrition has improved in these last 10 years, although there is still a chance for optimization in areas such as dietetics.