scholarly journals Junior doctors’ aspirations for careers in ophthalmology: 40 years of surveys of UK medical graduates

JRSM Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 205427041989215
Author(s):  
Trevor W Lambert ◽  
Atena Barat ◽  
Michael J Goldacre
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Change ◽  
Junior Doctors ◽  
Clinical Exposure ◽  
Career Preference ◽  
Medical Graduates ◽  
First Choice ◽  
Questionnaire Surveys ◽  
Using Data ◽  
One Year ◽  
Career Specialty

Objective Using data from 40 years of national surveys of UK medical graduates, we report on ophthalmology as a career choice. Design, setting, and participants Self-administered questionnaire surveys of all graduates from all UK medical schools in selected years of qualification between 1974 and 2015. Main outcome measures Career specialty preferences of doctors one, three, and five years after graduation; career specialty destinations 10 years after graduation. Results One year after graduation, ophthalmology was the first career preference of 1.6% of the qualifiers of 1974–83, 2.2% of 1993–2002, and 1.8% of 2005–15. The corresponding percentages three years after graduation were 1.5, 1.8, and 1.2%. Men were more likely than women to choose ophthalmology: among graduates of 2005–15, 2.4% of men and 1.4% of women did so at one year, as did 1.7% of men and 0.7% of women at five years. Seventy per cent of doctors practising as ophthalmologists 10 years after qualification had told us in their first post-qualification year that ophthalmology was their first choice of career. Conclusions There has been no systematic change in recent years in the proportion of recent medical graduates intending to have a career in ophthalmology when surveyed one year after graduation. However, the proportion at three and five years after graduation was lower than that at year 1. Suggestions for maintaining interest in the specialty include improved career advice, greater early clinical exposure to ophthalmology, and improved access to flexible training. Most practising ophthalmologists had made early decisions that this was their intended career.

scholarly journals Career specialty choices of UK medical graduates of 2015 compared with earlier cohorts: questionnaire surveys

2018 ◽  
Vol 94 (1110) ◽  
pp. 191-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor William Lambert ◽  
Fay Smith ◽  
Michael J Goldacre
Keyword(s):  
General Practice ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Junior Doctors ◽  
Medical Specialties ◽  
Medical Graduates ◽  
Questionnaire Surveys ◽  
One Year ◽  
Career Specialty ◽  
Over Time

ObjectiveTo report the career specialty choices of UK medical graduates of 2015 one year after graduation and to compare these with the choices made at the same postgraduate stage by previous cohorts.DesignNational survey using online and postal questionnaires.SettingUK.ParticipantsUK-trained medical graduates.Main outcome measuresGrouped and individual specialty choices.ResultsThe response rate was 41.3% (3040/7095). Among the graduates of 2015, general practice (27.8% of first choices) and hospital medical specialties (26.5%) were the most frequent first choices of long-term career. First choices for general practice declined among women from 36.1% for the 2005–2009 cohorts to 33.3% for the 2015 cohort, and among men from 22.4% for the 2005–2009 cohorts to 19.3% for the 2015 cohort. First choices for surgery declined among men (from 29.5% for the 2005–2009 cohorts to 21.7% for the 2015 cohort), but not among women (12.3% for the 2005–2009 cohorts and 12.5% for the 2015 cohort). There was an increase in the percentage of first choices for anaesthesia, psychiatry, radiology and careers outside medicine. Anaesthesia, oncology, paediatrics and radiology increased in popularity over time among men, but not among women.ConclusionsCareer choices for general practice remain low. Other current shortage specialties, apart from radiology and psychiatry, are not showing an increase in the number of doctors who choose them. Large gender differences remain in the choices for some specialties. Further work is needed into the determinants of junior doctors’ choices for shortage specialties and those with large gender imbalances.

scholarly journals Career choices for obstetrics and gynaecology: recent updates from 40 years of national surveys of UK medical graduates

JRSM Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 205427041986161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor W Lambert ◽  
Fay Smith ◽  
Michael J Goldacre
Keyword(s):  
Gender Gap ◽  
Career Choices ◽  
Career Pathways ◽  
Specialty Choice ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Medical Graduates ◽  
Obstetrics And Gynaecology ◽  
First Choice ◽  
Questionnaire Surveys ◽  
Career Specialty

Summary Objective To report doctors' early career choices for obstetrics and gynaecology, their eventual career destinations and factors influencing their career pathways. Design Multi-cohort multi-purpose national questionnaire surveys of medical graduates in selected graduation years between 1974 and 2015. Setting UK. Participants UK-trained medical graduates. Main outcome measures Career specialty choices; certainty about specialty choice; factors which influenced doctors' career choices; career specialty destinations 10 years after graduation. Results Obstetrics and Gynaecology was the first choice of career for 5.7% of post-2002 graduates in year 1, 4.3% in year 3 and 3.8% in year 5. A much higher percentage of women than men specified Obstetrics and Gynaecology as their first choice: in year 1, 7.7% of women and 2.3% of men did so. The gender gap has widened since the 1970s and 1980s. In recent years, of those who specified Obstetrics and Gynaecology as their first choice in year 1 after graduation, 48% were working in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in year 10 (63% of men, 45% of women). Looking backwards from career destinations, 85% of doctors working in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in year 10 had specified Obstetrics and Gynaecology as a first, second or third choice of preferred career in year 1. Conclusions Interest in Obstetrics and Gynaecology among UK graduates appears to be exceeding the demand for new specialists. Policy needs to address risks of over-production of trainees and ensure that some graduates interested in Obstetrics and Gynaecology consider alternative careers. The large gender imbalance should encourage consideration of the reasons for men choosing Obstetrics and Gynaecology in falling numbers.

scholarly journals Career choices for nephrology and factors influencing them: surveys of UK medical graduates

JRSM Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 205427041879302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atena Barat ◽  
Michael J Goldacre ◽  
Trevor W Lambert
Keyword(s):  
Career Choices ◽  
Postgraduate Training ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Junior Doctors ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Career Preference ◽  
Medical Graduates ◽  
Career Specialty ◽  
Career Preferences ◽  
Survey Questionnaires

Objectives To study early and eventual career choices for nephrology among UK medical graduates and investigate factors which influenced career preferences. Design Self-completed survey questionnaires mailed to medical graduates 1, 3, 5 and 10 years after graduation. Setting United Kingdom. Participants UK medical graduates in 15 year-of-qualification cohorts between 1974 and 2015. Main outcome measures Early career specialty choices, career specialty destinations at 10 years and ratings of factors affecting career choices. Results Around 0.4%–1.1% of these junior doctors expressed a career preference for nephrology, varying by year of qualification and years after qualification. Among all graduates of 1993–2002 combined, 0.4% expressed a career preference for nephrology 1 year after qualification rising to 1.0% in year 5. Among graduates of 2005–2008, the corresponding figures were 1.0% in year 1 falling to 0.7% in year 5. Only 18% of doctors who chose nephrology in year 1 eventually became nephrologists. Of doctors who were practising as nephrologists for 10 years and more after qualification, 74% of the women and 56% of the men had decided to pursue a career in nephrology by year 5 after qualification. ‘Enthusiasm/commitment’ had a great deal of influence on those who chose nephrology, for all cohorts and all years studied. Conclusions The most recent data suggest that the proportion of young doctors who sustain an interest in nephrology through the early postgraduate training years may be lower than among their predecessors. Efforts are needed to reverse the declining trend and increase interest in nephrology.

scholarly journals Career Choices and Career Progression of Junior Doctors in Dermatology: Surveys of UK Medical Graduates

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atena Barat ◽  
Michael J. Goldacre ◽  
Trevor W. Lambert
Keyword(s):  
Career Choices ◽  
Career Decision ◽  
Career Pathways ◽  
Junior Doctors ◽  
Longitudinal Surveys ◽  
Medical Graduates ◽  
First Choice ◽  
Recent Graduates ◽  
One Year ◽  
Almost All

Objective. To report UK-trained doctors’ career choices for dermatology, career destinations, and factors influencing career pathways. Methods. Multicohort multipurpose longitudinal surveys of UK-trained doctors who graduated between 1974 and 2015. Results. In all, 40,412 doctors (58% of graduates) responded in year 1, 31,466 (64%) in year 3, and 24,970 (67%) in year 5. One year after graduation, 1.7% of women and 0.6% of men made dermatology their first choice but by five years after graduation the respective figures were 1.0% and 0.7%. Compared to their predecessors, its popularity fell more substantially from years 1 to 5 among recent graduates (2005–15), particularly for women (from 2.1% in year 1 to 0.8% in year 5) compared with a fall from 0.8% to 0.5% among men. The most important factor influencing dermatology choice was “hours/working conditions”: in year one, 69% regarded this as important compared with 31% of those choosing other hospital physician specialties. Only 18% of respondents who chose dermatology at year 1 eventually worked in it; however, almost all practising dermatologists (94%), 10 years after qualifying, had made their future career decision by year 5. Conclusion. Dermatology is popular among female UK graduates. Most dermatologists made their career decision late but decisively.

scholarly journals Choice and rejection of psychiatry as a career: surveys of UK medical graduates from 1974 to 2009

2013 ◽  
Vol 202 (3) ◽  
pp. 228-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Goldacre ◽  
Seena Fazel ◽  
Fay Smith ◽  
Trevor Lambert
Keyword(s):  
Medical School ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Junior Doctors ◽  
Women Doctors ◽  
Medical Graduates ◽  
First Choice ◽  
Relative Attractiveness ◽  
Questionnaire Studies ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Job Content

BackgroundRecruitment of adequate numbers of doctors to psychiatry is difficult.AimsTo report on career choice for psychiatry, comparing intending psychiatrists with doctors who chose other clinical careers.MethodQuestionnaire studies of all newly qualified doctors from all UK medical schools in 12 qualification years between 1974 and 2009 (33 974 respondent doctors).ResultsOne, three and five years after graduation, 4–5% of doctors specified psychiatry as their first choice of future career. This was largely unchanged across the 35 years. Comparing intending psychiatrists with doctors who chose other careers, factors with a greater influence on psychiatrists' choice included their experience of the subject at medical school, self-appraisal of their own skills, and inclinations before medical school. In a substudy of doctors who initially considered but then did not pursue specialty choices, 72% of those who did not pursue psychiatry gave ‘job content’ as their reason compared with 33% of doctors who considered but did not pursue other specialties. Historically, more women than men have chosen psychiatry, but the gap has closed over the past decade.ConclusionsJunior doctors' views about psychiatry as a possible career range from high levels of enthusiasm to antipathy, and are more polarised than views about other specialties. Shortening of working hours and improvements to working practices in other hospital-based specialties in the UK may have reduced the relative attractiveness of psychiatry to women doctors. The extent to which views of newly qualified doctors about psychiatry can be modified by medical school education, and by greater exposure to psychiatry during student and early postgraduate years, needs investigation.

scholarly journals Perception, career choice and self-efficacy of UK medical students and junior doctors in urology

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Jones ◽  
Bhavan Prasad Rai ◽  
Hasan A.R. Qazi ◽  
Bhaskar K. Somani ◽  
Ghulam Nabi
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Social Networking Site ◽  
Male Dominance ◽  
Junior Doctors ◽  
Undergraduate Level ◽  
Clinical Exposure ◽  
Career Preference ◽  
Scientific Discussion ◽  
Career Option ◽  
Male Dominated

Introduction: There is a growing concern about the reduced clinical exposure to urology at undergraduate level in the United Kingdom. As a consequence, the competencies of junior doctors are considered inadequate. The views of these doctors in training towards urology remain under reported.Methods: A modified Delphi method was employed to construct a questionnaire. Given the rise of social media as a platform for scientific discussion, participants were recruited via a social networking site. Outcomes assessed included career preference, exposure to urology, perceived male dominance, and confidence at core procedures.Results: In total, 412 and 66 responses were collected from medical students and junior doctors, respectively. Overall, 41% of participants felt that they had received a good level of clinical exposure to urology as part of their training and 15% were considering a career in this speciality. Female students were significantly less likely to consider urology as a career option (p < 0.01). Of these, 37% of the students felt confident at male catheterization and 46% of students regarded urology as a male-dominated speciality.Conclusions: Urology is perceived as male dominated and is the least likely surgical speciality to be pursued as a career option according to our survey. Increased exposure to urology at the undergraduate level and dedicated workshops for core urological procedures are needed to address these challenges.

scholarly journals Understanding junior doctors’ experiences of teaching on the acute take: a qualitative study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Hayden ◽  
Jedd Raidan ◽  
Jonathan Rees ◽  
Abhishek Oswal
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Clinical Work ◽  
Undergraduate Curriculum ◽  
Junior Doctors ◽  
Workplace Education ◽  
Clinical Exposure ◽  
Medical Graduates ◽  
Educational Role

Abstract Background New medical graduates are significantly unprepared to manage acutely unwell patients due to limited first-hand clinical exposure in the undergraduate curriculum. Supporting undergraduate learning in the acute setting can be challenging for junior doctors when balancing teaching and clinical responsibilities. Our aim was to explore junior doctors’ first-hand experiences of supporting undergraduate education in the acute admissions environment(take). Methods Fourteen junior doctors in one teaching hospital in South West England took part in semi-structured focus groups (4–6 participants in each) which were audio-recorded, transcribed, and thematically analysed. Results Junior doctors described their educational role as comprising: teaching, demonstrating, coaching, and supervising. They perceived the acute take as a highly variable, unpredictable setting that offered a broad scope for learning. Tensions between doctors’ clinical and educational roles were described, influenced by internal and external factors. Clinical work was prioritised over teaching and participants lacked confidence in supervisory and clinical skills. Doctors felt pressured to meet students’ expectations and lacked understanding of their educational needs. Senior colleagues were highly influential in establishing an educational culture and were often a source of pressure to deliver timely clinical care. Organisations were perceived not to value teaching due to the lack of provision of dedicated teaching time and prioritisation of limited resources towards patient care. Participants managed tensions by attempting to formally separate roles, demoting students to passive observers, and they sought greater continuity in placements to better understand students’ abilities and expectations. Conclusions Educational opportunities for undergraduate students on the acute take are varied and highly valuable. This study provides insight into the provision of workplace education and its challenges from junior doctors’ perspectives. We highlight areas for improvement of relevance to educational providers.

scholarly journals UK-trained junior doctors' intentions to work in UK medicine: questionnaire surveys, three years after graduation

2017 ◽  
Vol 110 (12) ◽  
pp. 493-500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geraldine Surman ◽  
Michael J Goldacre ◽  
Trevor W Lambert
Keyword(s):  
Medical Practice ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Junior Doctors ◽  
Foreseeable Future ◽  
Career Intentions ◽  
Medical Graduates ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Questionnaire Surveys ◽  
The Uk

Objective To report on the career intentions, three years after qualification, of 12 national cohorts of UK-trained doctors who qualified between 1974 and 2012, and, specifically, to compare recent UK medical graduates’ intentions to work in medicine in the UK with earlier graduates. Design Questionnaire surveys of cohorts of UK medical graduates defined by year of graduation. Setting UK. Participants 30,272 UK medical graduates. Main outcome measures Stated level of intention to pursue a long-term career in medicine in the UK. Results The response rate was 62% (30,272/48,927). We examined responses to the question ‘ Apart from temporary visits abroad, do you intend to practise medicine in the United Kingdom for the foreseeable future?' Of doctors from UK homes, 90% had specified that they would ‘definitely or probably’ practise medicine in the UK in the surveys of 1977–1986, 81% in 1996–2011 and 64% in 2015. Those who said that they would probably or definitely not practise medicine in the UK comprised 5% in 1977–1986, 8% in 1996–2011 and 15% in 2015. Most who were not definite about a future career in UK medicine indicated that they would wish to practise medicine outside the UK rather than to leave medicine. Conclusions The wish to remain in UK medical practice in the 2015 survey was unprecedentedly low in this unique series of 40 years of surveys.

scholarly journals Center-Based Child Care and Differential Improvements in the Child Development Outcomes of Disadvantaged Children

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Anne Reynolds
Keyword(s):  
Child Care ◽  
Child Development ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Additional Time ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Development Outcomes ◽  
One Year ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Research finds center-based child care typically benefits children of low socio-economic status (SES) but few studies have examined if it also reduces inequalities in developmental disadvantage. Objective I test if the length of time in center-based care between ages one and three years associates with child development scores at age three years, focusing on the impact for groups of children in the lower tercile of child development scores and in the lower SES tercile. Method Using data from 1,606 children collected in a nationally representative Chilean survey, I apply a value-added approach to measure gains in child development scores between age one and three years that are associated with length of time in center-based child care. Results Disadvantages at age one year were associated with lower child development scores at age three years. No benefits of additional time in center-based care were found for the non-disadvantaged group, but positive associations were found between more time in center-based care and child development outcomes for children with the SES disadvantage only. Center-based care was not associated with child development trajectories of children with lower child development scores at age one year, no matter their SES status. Conclusions There is evidence that Chilean center-based child care reduces SES inequality in child development scores between ages one and three years, but only if children already were not low-scorers at age one year.

scholarly journals Parameterization of ion-induced nucleation rates based on ambient observations

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 21697-21720 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Nieminen ◽  
P. Paasonen ◽  
H. E. Manninen ◽  
V.-M. Kerminen ◽  
M. Kulmala
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Global Radiation ◽  
Atmospheric Models ◽  
Organic Vapor ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Using Data ◽  
One Year ◽  
Project Data ◽  
Semi Empirical

Abstract. Atmospheric ions participate in the formation of new atmospheric aerosol particles, yet their exact role in this process has remained unclear. Here we derive a new simple parameterization for ion-induced nucleation or, more precisely, for the formation rate of charged 2-nm particles. The parameterization is semi-empirical in the sense that it is based on comprehensive results of one-year-long atmospheric cluster and particle measurements in the size range ∼1–42 nm within the EUCAARI (European Integrated project on Aerosol Cloud Climate and Air Quality interactions) project. Data from 12 field sites across Europe measured with different types of air ion and cluster mobility spectrometers were used in our analysis, with more in-depth analysis made using data from four stations with concomitant sulphuric acid measurements. The parameterization was given in two slightly different forms: a more accurate one that requires information on sulfuric acid and nucleating organic vapor concentrations, and a simpler one in which this information is replaced with the global radiation intensity. In principle, these new parameterizations are applicable to all large-scale atmospheric models containing size-resolved aerosol microphysics.

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