“Harmonisation of family medicine in Croatia with EU standards introducing specialist training“: experience in curriculum development and implementation

Abstract:

Specialist training of family doctors in Croatia started in 1960. However, the program was stopped in the 1990s for different reasons and continued only in 2003 when the process of revitalisation of family medicine started with the Project “Harmonisation of family medicine with EU standards introducing specialist training.“ A new curriculum was developed, taking into account advances in medical sciences and changes in family medicine practice. The curriculum development consisted of ten phases including assessment of educational needs, definition of learning outcomes and related learning content, definition of educational strategy and teaching methods, development of the curriculum delivery and conditions, determination of the curriculum evaluation methods, resident evaluation methods, public presentation of the curriculum, and curriculum management. In this article, special attention is paid to the educational strategy and the curriculum delivery and management, especially for the transitional period until 2015. 

Key words:
curriculum; education, medical, graduate; family practice; mentors; specialization; teaching