Dataset Information

Cross-sectional study of the financial cost of training to the surgical trainee in the UK and Ireland.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVES:Applications for surgical training have declined over the last decade, and anecdotally the costs of training at the expense of the surgical trainee are rising. We aimed to quantify the costs surgical trainees are expected to cover for postgraduate training. DESIGN:Prospective, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS:A non-mandatory online questionnaire for UK-based trainees was distributed nationally. A similar national questionnaire was distributed for Ireland, taking into account differences between the healthcare systems. Only fully completed responses were included. RESULTS:There were 848 and 58 fully completed responses from doctors based in the UK and Ireland, respectively. Medical students in the UK reported a significant increase in debt on graduation by 55% from £17?892 (2000-2004) to £27?655 (2010-2014) (p<0.01). 41% of specialty trainees in the UK indicated that some or all of their study budget was used to fund mandatory regional teaching. By the end of training, a surgical trainee in the UK spends on average £9105 on courses, £5411 on conferences and £4185 on exams, not covered by training budget. Irish trainees report similarly high costs. Most trainees undertake a higher degree during their postgraduate training. The cost of achieving the mandatory requirements for completion of training ranges between £20 000 and £26?000 (dependent on specialty), except oral and maxillofacial surgery, which is considerably higher (£71 431). CONCLUSIONS:Medical students are graduating with significantly larger debt than before. Surgical trainees achieve their educational requirements at substantial personal expenditure. To encourage graduates to pursue and remain in surgical training, urgent action is required to fund the mandatory requirements and annual training costs for completion of training and provide greater transparency to inform doctors of what their postgraduate training costs will be. This is necessary to increase diversity in surgery, reduce debt load and ensure surgery remains a popular career choice.

SUBMITTER: O'Callaghan J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5695344 | biostudies-other | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Cross-sectional study of the financial cost of training to the surgical trainee in the UK and Ireland.

O'Callaghan John J Mohan Helen M HM Sharrock Anna A Gokani Vimal V Fitzgerald J Edward JE Williams Adam P AP Harries Rhiannon L RL

BMJ open 20171115 11

<h4>Objectives</h4>Applications for surgical training have declined over the last decade, and anecdotally the costs of training at the expense of the surgical trainee are rising. We aimed to quantify the costs surgical trainees are expected to cover for postgraduate training.<h4>Design</h4>Prospective, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study.<h4>Setting/participants</h4>A non-mandatory online questionnaire for UK-based trainees was distributed nationally. A similar national questionnaire was ...[more]

PMID: 29146646

Similar Datasets

Project description:OBJECTIVES:Generational changes in lifestyle expectations, working environments and the feminisation of the medical workforce have seen an increased demand in postgraduate less than full-time training (LTFT). Despite this, concerns remain regarding access to, and information about, flexible training for surgeons. This study aimed to assess the opinions and experiences of LTFT for surgical trainees. DESIGN:Prospective, questionnaire-based cross-sectional study. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS:An electronic, self-administered questionnaire was distributed in the UK and Republic of Ireland through mailing lists via the Association of Surgeons in Training and British Orthopedic Trainee Association. RESULTS:Overall, 876 completed responses were received, representing all grades of trainee across all 10 surgical specialties. Median age was 33 years and 63.4% were female. Of those who had undertaken LTFT, 92.5% (148/160) were female. Most worked 60% of a full-time post (86/160, 53.8%). The reasons for either choosing or considering LTFT were childrearing (82.7%), caring for a dependent (12.6%) and sporting commitments (6.8%). Males were less likely to list childrearing than females (64.9% vs 87.6%; p<0.0001). Only 38% (60/160) found the application process easy and 53.8% (86/160) experienced undermining behaviour from workplace staff as a result of undertaking LTFT. Of all respondents, an additional 53.7% (385/716) would consider LTFT in future; 27.5% of which were male (106/385). Overall, only 9.9% of all respondents rated current LTFT information as adequate. Common sources of information were other trainees (47.3%), educational supervisors (20.6%) and local postgraduate school website (19.5%). CONCLUSIONS:Over half of surgical trainees working LTFT have experienced undermining behaviour as a result of their LTFT. Despite a reported need for LTFT in both genders, this remains difficult to organise, access to useful information is poor and negative attitudes among staff remain. Recommendations are made to provide improved support and information for those wishing to pursue LTFT.

Project description:ObjectivesTo determine the need for recovery (NFR) among emergency physicians and to identify demographic and occupational characteristics associated with higher NFR scores.DesignCross-sectional electronic survey.SettingEmergency departments (EDs) (n=112) in the UK and Ireland.ParticipantsEmergency physicians, defined as any registered physician working principally within the ED, responding between June and July 2019.Main outcome measureNFR Scale, an 11-item self-administered questionnaire that assesses how work demands affect intershift recovery.ResultsThe median NFR Score for all 4247 eligible, consented participants with a valid NFR Score was 70.0 (95% CI: 65.5 to 74.5), with an IQR of 45.5-90.0. A linear regression model indicated statistically significant associations between gender, health conditions, type of ED, clinical grade, access to annual and study leave, and time spent working out-of-hours. Groups including male physicians, consultants, general practitioners (GPs) within the ED, those working in paediatric EDs and those with no long-term health condition or disability had a lower NFR Score. After adjusting for these characteristics, the NFR Score increased by 3.7 (95% CI: 0.3 to 7.1) and 6.43 (95% CI: 2.0 to 10.8) for those with difficulty accessing annual and study leave, respectively. Increased percentage of out-of-hours work increased NFR Score almost linearly: 26%-50% out-of-hours work=5.7 (95% CI: 3.1 to 8.4); 51%-75% out-of-hours work=10.3 (95% CI: 7.6 to 13.0); 76%-100% out-of-hours work=14.5 (95% CI: 11.0 to 17.9).ConclusionHigher NFR scores were observed among emergency physicians than reported in any other profession or population to date. While out-of-hours working is unavoidable, the linear relationship observed suggests that any reduction may result in NFR improvement. Evidence-based strategies to improve well-being such as proportional out-of-hours working and improved access to annual and study leave should be carefully considered and implemented where feasible.

Project description:BackgroundThe application process for Core Surgical Training (CST) in the United Kingdom (UK) is competitive and hence, careful preparation is required for trainees to obtain their posts of choice. There are multiple resources for preparation for selection including face-to-face courses and online question banks, however there is a paucity of webinars to educate trainees. With the cancellation of such courses due to social distancing restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, this cross-sectional study aims to evaluate the usefulness of a webinar to educate trainees on CST selection in the UK.Materials and methodsA free online webinar was held on a single day by a second year core surgical trainee and was attended by 111 junior doctors. Beforehand, all attendees were invited to complete a survey on Google Forms (Google, USA) to ascertain their level of experience with webinars, obtain demographic information and elicit their level of knowledge about CST selection using a 1-5 Likert scale.ResultsMost attendees were in Foundation Year 2 (38.7%) and many had not previously attended a webinar as part of CST application preparation (93.7%). Over half of respondents (55.0%) preferred a webinar over a face-to-face tutorial, appreciating the flexibility, convenience and zero financial cost associated. Many candidates received minimal advice on CST application by their Foundation School (47.7%) and 50.5% of respondents rated their confidence on the application process at '3 out of 5.'ConclusionOur study suggests webinars have been underused in preparation for CST applications. Traditional courses and advice from colleagues are more popular ways in which applicants prepare for selection. However, given the degree of uncertainty surrounding the return of face-to-face courses due to the Covid-19 pandemic, preparation for CST application may become increasingly reliant on online materials, which may result in an increased demand for high quality, engaging and informative webinars.

Dataset Information

Cross-sectional study of the financial cost of training to the surgical trainee in the UK and Ireland.

Publications

Cross-sectional study of the financial cost of training to the surgical trainee in the UK and Ireland.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets