AbstractThe purpose of this investigation was to perform a
survey among European clinical microbiology (CM) and in-fectious disease (ID) trainees on training satisfaction, training
tools, and competency assessment. An online, anonymous
survey in the English language was carried out between
April and July 2015. There were 25 questions: seven in a 5-point Likert scale (1: worst scenario, 5: best scenario) and the
remainder as closed multiple-choice questions in five areas
(satisfaction, adequacy, system, mentorship, and evaluation
of training). Included were 419 respondents (215 CM, 159
ID, and 45 combined CM/ID) from 31 European countries
[mean age (standard deviation) 32.4 (5.3) years, 65.9 %
women]. Regarding satisfaction on the training scheme, CM
and ID scored 3.6 (0.9) and 3.2 (1.0), respectively. These
scores varied between countries, ranging from 2.5 (1.0) for
Italian ID to 4.3 (0.8) for Danish CM trainees. The majority
of respondents considered training in management and health
economics inadequate and e-learning and continuing medical
education programs insufficient. Many trainees (65.3 % of
CM and 62.9 % of ID) would like to have more opportunities
to spend a part of their training abroad and expected their
mentor to bemore involved in helpingwith future career plans
(63.5 % of CMand 53.4% of ID) and practical skills (53.0 %
of CM and 61.2 % of ID). Two-thirds of the respondents