Is there a place for anesthesiology: relevance and adequacy in the undergraduate curriculum of Thailand?

Background. It is argued that anesthesiology-related competencies are too specialized for new graduate doctors in Thailand. It is questioned if there is still a place for anesthesiology in an undergraduate core curriculum. Objective: To evaluate relevance and adequacy of the anesthesiology in the undergraduate curriculum of the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University. Methods: A mailed questionnaire about relevancy and adequacy of the knowledge taught in the anesthesiology course in the curriculum was mailed to new graduate doctors. Five-point Likert's scale was used as a data-collecting method. Results: The respondents agreed with relevancy of spinal anesthesia, general anesthesia and airway management to their current practices 68%, 27% and 75%, respectively. The majority (52%) felt confident to perform endotracheal tube intubation and 37% felt confident in doing spinal anesthesia. Only 13% felt confident to perform general anesthesia. Conclusion: The new medical graduates realized that knowledge and skill in airway management and spinal anesthesia was relevant to their practices. The curriculum should be focused on the topics that are applicable for non-anesthesiological practice.