[Hippocrates and the seven essential roles and key competencies of specialist physicians].

In 2000 the Danish health authorities published recommendations on the training of specialist physicians. Based on the work of a group under The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada the Danish report mentions seven key competencies of the specialist: Medical expert, Communicator, Scholar, Collaborator, Manager, Health advocate, Professional. The detailed description of these roles reveals that they may be universal characteristics of the physician. A number of quotations from the corpus hippocraticum seems to substantiate this view.