scholarly journals Evaluating the recruitment process into UK anaesthesia core training: a national data linkage study of doctors’ performance at selection and subsequent postgraduate training

2019 ◽  
Vol 96 (1131) ◽  
pp. 14-20
Author(s):  
Margaret Aslet ◽  
Lewis W Paton ◽  
Thomas Gale ◽  
Paul A Tiffin

Purpose of the studyTo explore which factors increase the likelihood of being deemed appointable to core anaesthesia training in the UK and whether those factors subsequently predict performance in postgraduate training.Study designObservational study linking UK medical specialty recruitment data with postgraduate educational performance, as measured by Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP) outcomes. Data were available for 2782 trainee doctors recruited to anaesthesia core training from 2012 to 2016 with at least one subsequent ARCP outcome.ResultsBoth higher interview and shortlisting scores were independent and statistically significant (p≤0.001) predictors of more satisfactory ARCP outcomes, even after controlling for the influence of postgraduate exam failure. It was noted that a number of background variables (eg, age at application) were independently associated with the odds of being deemed appointable at recruitment. Of these, increasing age and experience were also negative predictors of subsequent ARCP rating. These influences became statistically non-significant once ARCP outcomes associated with exam failure were excluded.ConclusionsThe predictors of ‘appointability’ largely also predict subsequent performance in postgraduate training, as indicated by ARCP ratings. This provides evidence for the validity of the selection process. Our results also suggest that greater weight could be applied to shortlisting scores within the overall process of ranking applicants for posts.

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. e023060 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A Tiffin ◽  
James Orr ◽  
Lewis W Paton ◽  
Daniel T Smith ◽  
John J Norcini

ObjectivesTo compare the likelihood of success at selection into specialty training for doctors who were UK nationals but obtained their primary medical qualification (PMQ) from outside the UK (‘UK overseas graduates’) with other graduate groups based on their nationality and where they gained their PMQ. We also compared subsequent educational performance during postgraduate training between the graduate groups.DesignObservational study linking UK medical specialty recruitment data with postgraduate educational performance (Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP) ratings).SettingDoctors recruited into national programmes of postgraduate specialist training in the UK from 2012 to 2016.Participants34 755 UK-based trainee doctors recruited into national specialty training programmes with at least one subsequent ARCP outcome reported during the study period, including 1108 UK overseas graduates.Main outcome measuresOdds of being deemed appointable at specialty selection and subsequent odds of obtaining a less versus more satisfactory category of ARCP outcome.ResultsUK overseas graduates were more likely to be deemed appointable compared with non-EU medical graduates who were not UK citizens (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.42), although less so than UK (OR 0.25, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.27) or European graduates (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.75). However, UK overseas graduates were subsequently more likely to receive a less satisfactory outcome at ARCP than other graduate groups. Adjusting for age, sex, experience and the economic disparity between country of nationality and place of qualification reduced intergroup differences.ConclusionsThe failure of recruitment patterns to mirror the ARCP data raises issues regarding consistency in selection and the deaneries’ subsequent annual reviews. Excessive weight is possibly given to interview performance at specialty recruitment. Regulators and selectors should continue to develop robust processes for selection and assessment of doctors in training. Further support could be considered for UK overseas graduates returning to practice in the UK.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fionnuala Durrant ◽  
Stuart Edwardson ◽  
Sally El-Ghazali ◽  
Christopher Holt ◽  
Roopa McCrossan ◽  
...  

The most recent ST3 Anaesthetic recruitment for posts commencing in August 2021 saw larger numbers of applicants (n = 1,056) compared to previous years, with approximately 700 applicants failing to secure an ST3 post. We surveyed 536 anaesthetic junior doctors who applied for ST3 posts during this application round with the aim of investigating their experience of the recruitment process this year (response rate 536/1,056 = 51%). Approximately 61% were not offered ST3 posts (n = 326), a similar proportion to that previously reported. We asked all respondents what their potential career plans were for the next 12 to 24 months. The majority expressed intentions to take up either CT3 top-up posts or non-training fellow posts from August 2021 (79%). Other options considered by respondents included: pursuing work abroad (17%), embarking on a career break (16%), taking up an ST3 post in intensive care medicine instead of anaesthetics (15%) and permanently leaving the medical profession (9%). A number of respondents expressed a desire to pursue training in a different medical specialty (9%). Some respondents expressed an intention to pursue further education or research (10%). A large proportion of respondents (42%) expressed a lack of confidence in being able to achieve the necessary training requirements to later apply for ST4 in August 2023. The majority of respondents reported not feeling confident in achieving GMC Specialty Registration in Anaesthesia in the future without a training number (75%), and that their wider life plans have been disrupted due to the impending time out of training (78%). We received a total of 384 free-text responses to a question asking about general concerns regarding the ST3 applications process. Sentiment analysis of these free-text responses indicated that respondents felt generally negatively about the ST3 recruitment process. Some themes that were elicited from the responses included: respondents feeling the recruitment process lacked fairness, respondents suffering burnout and negative impacts on their wellbeing, difficulties in making plans for their personal lives, and feeling undervalued and abandoned despite having made personal sacrifices to support the health service during the COVID-19 pandemic. These results suggest that junior anaesthetic doctors in the UK currently have a negative perception towards postgraduate training structures, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, changes to the postgraduate training curriculum and difficulties in securing higher training posts.


Author(s):  
Jia-Li Feng ◽  
Suzanne C. Dixon-Suen ◽  
Susan J. Jordan ◽  
Penelope M. Webb

2021 ◽  
pp. bmjmilitary-2020-001690
Author(s):  
Giles Nordmann ◽  
J Ralph ◽  
J E Smith

This paper examines the development and evolution of the deployed medical director (DMD) role and argues for the re-establishment of a formal selection process and training pathway. Recent deployments into new areas of operations, deployment of smaller medical treatment facilities (MTFs), the reduced numbers of deployments for clinicians, working with various multinational partners and both military and civilian organisations all pose specific problems for DMDs. The initial and then continued deployment of a secondary care role 2 MTF as part of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan illustrated some of these challenges. Although a novel operation, the broad categories of these new challenges were similar to the historical challenges facing the first DMDs in Afghanistan. Corporate memory loss may be unavoidable to some degree due to rapid turnover in appointments, particularly in single service and joint headquarters. However, individual memory and experience remains extant within the military medical deployable workforce. After the cessation of UK military deployed hospital care involvement in Afghanistan, the UK DMD formal training pathway ended. This paper argues for the re-establishment of a more formal DMD selection process and training pathway to ensure that organisational learning is optimised.


Author(s):  
Amminadab L. Eliakundu ◽  
Dominique A. Cadilhac ◽  
Joosup Kim ◽  
Nadine E. Andrew ◽  
Christopher F. Bladin ◽  
...  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document