We want to improve the medical education – but what do the physicans in postgraduate training want?

Background With the emergence of Competence Centers for Continuing Education in Family Medicine (CC) in 2017 train-the-trainer seminars (ttt) were introduced in many places. Furthermore the CC offer accompanying seminars and mentoring for the physicans in postgraduate training. The content of the ttt-sem-inars is based on international concepts and the experience of the organizers. However, the expectations of the trainees re-garding their teaching practices are largely unknown. Methods The trainees registered in the Lower Saxony Center of Competence in Family Medicine (KANN) were systematically ques-tioned online about their expectations towards the competen-cies of the training supervisors, the structure of the doctor`s practice and content of continuing education. After the evalu-ation by the authors the results were discussed within a sem-inar for family medicine trainer. Results Of the 170 postgraduate, who were contacted by email, 36 (32 women) participated in our study (response rate 21.2 %). The age and sex distribution, as well as the state of education, corresponded to the grade of trainees registered in the KANN. The trainee`s expectations largely coincide with the so far chosen focal points of the ttt-seminars. The learning of com-munication skills is weighted less than the learning of technical skills. A well structured training is desired. The trainees expect their teacher to be empathic. Conclusions The data expand the previous knowledge about the expectations of the physicans in postgraduate training to their ad-vanced trainers for family medicine. The orientation of the ttt offers largely coincides with the expectations of the trainees. The importance of supporting communicative skills should be developed furthermore in ttt-seminars. Likewise, it is desirable to include the development of empathic skills in the seminars. It is helpful to explore the expectations of the trainees again in the future, if possible, beyond the limits of a competence center, in order to detect the strengths and weaknesses of the practical training and to improve the offer. © Deutscher Ärzteverlag.