In-house training for clinical endoscopists: a personal account

Demand for endoscopic services is rising, creating challenges for healthcare providers in finding extra capacity. Training healthcare professionals from non-medical backgrounds as endoscopists is one response to this question. Health Education England provides a training course for clinical endoscopists with a structured development framework. The course sets out an improved way of training non-medical endoscopists that replaces the previous apprenticeship model. This personal account reflects on training practices in use from the perspective of a mentor and a trainee from within a single training centre in London. Training non-medical endoscopists is different in a number of ways compared with training registrars, but the experience is equally rewarding for all involved. Non-medical candidates can and often do surpass their medically trained colleagues in endoscopy, but they need additional support from their departments and clinical leads.