The European Society of Radiology (ESR) is strongly urging the European Commission (EC) to increase the minimum requirement for radiologist training from four years to five years to comply with the European Training Curriculum for Radiology.
According to the ESR, increased training needs and the introduction of digital technology in medical imaging require equally high standards of training that can only be met by implementing a five-year requirement.
The ESR is also requesting that EC member states change the name of the discipline from "diagnostic radiology" to "radiology" to reflect the profession's current practice, which includes both diagnostic and interventional procedures. The ESR sees the name change as the first step toward the harmonization of radiology across the continent.
In addition, the ESR is collaborating with the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) to make changes in the current political climate, which the two organizations believe offers new opportunities for adapting the legal framework regulating the free movement of doctors and recognition of professional qualifications in the wake of the modernization of the Professional Qualifications Directive in 2013.
