The cost of a number: can you afford to become a surgeon?

Stroman, L; Weil, S; Butler, K; McDonald, CR

doi:10.1308/147363515x14162390057944

Cited by 23 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…Finally, general practice training is much shorter than many other specialties and general practice trainees tend to work in one place rather than rotating around (often geographically dispersed) hospitals. This may mean fewer financial demands on trainees than other pathways54–56 and thus may appeal to more mature trainees/residents who are likely to have greater financial and domestic commitments than younger ones 57 58. A recent report looking at how doctors progress through postgraduate training also highlighted how mature and graduate entry trainees are concerned with getting through training as quickly as possible 59.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship between sociodemographic factors and specialty destination of UK trainee doctors: a national cohort study

et al. 2019

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ObjectivesMany countries are driving forward policies to widen the socioeconomic profile of medical students and to train more medical students for certain specialties. However, little is known about how socioeconomic origin relates to specialty choice. Nor is there a good understanding of the relationship between academic performance and specialty choice. To address these gaps, our aim was to identify the relationship between socioeconomic background, academic performance and accepted offers into specialty training.DesignLongitudinal, cohort study using data from the UK Medical Education Database (https://www.ukmed.ac.uk/).Participants6065 (60% females) UK doctors who accepted offers to a specialty training (residency) post after completing the 2-year generic foundation programme (UK Foundation Programme) between 2012 and 2014.Main outcome measuresΧ2tests were used to examine the relationships between sociodemographic characteristics, academic ability and the dependent variable, specialty choice. Multiple data imputation was used to address the issue of missing data. Multinomial regression was employed to test the independent variables in predicting the likelihood of choosing a given specialty.ResultsParticipants pursuing careers in more competitive specialties had significantly higher academic scores than colleagues pursuing less competitive ones. After controlling for the presence of multiple factors, trainees who came from families where no parent was educated to a degree level had statistically significant lower odds of choosing careers in medical specialties relative to general practice (OR=0.78, 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.92). Students who entered medical school as school leavers, compared with mature students, had odds 1.2 times higher (95% CI, 1.04 to 1.56) of choosing surgical specialties than general practice.ConclusionsThe data indicate a direct association between trainees’ sociodemographic characteristics, academic ability and career choices. The findings can be used by medical school, training boards and workforce planners to inform recruitment and retention strategies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship between sociodemographic factors and specialty destination of UK trainee doctors: a national cohort study

et al. 2019

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“… 20 Another calculation for only the early stages of training in other specialties was also slightly less for medicine and anaesthetics than surgical specialties. 3 Comparisons with other professional careers, such as solicitors, are also difficult, but working in the private sector has additional benefits. After qualifying with a law degree, solicitors must complete a legal practice course, which costs £8500–£15 000 dependent on the type of course and location.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 2 The cost of completing the mandatory postgraduate requirements to secure a higher surgical training programme post has been estimated to be between £2735 and £20 780, dependent on surgical specialty (average £3360), compared with medicine (£2815) and anaesthetics (£2215). 3 Following entry to higher surgical training, there are considerable ongoing costs incurred by trainees in order to meet the requirements for completion of training as mandated by the Joint Committee on Surgical Training (JCST). These include educational courses, conference attendance, Royal College membership and fellowship examinations and annual subscriptions, and specialty society membership subscriptions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

O’Callaghan

Sharrock

et al. 2017

BMJ Open

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ObjectivesApplications 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.DesignProspective, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study.Setting/ParticipantsA 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.ResultsThere 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).ConclusionsMedical 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.

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“…6 Most importantly patient outcomes have been linked with doctors' welfare at work, thus highlighting the importance of addressing these issues. 7 Much of the literature has focused on medical specialty training 1,2,8,9,10 , but here we will consider the cost of training in a single dental speciality, oral surgery, which is a recognised EU specialty. Following three years of training, candidates are eligible to sit the Tri-collegiate Membership in Oral Surgery examination (MOral Surg) leading to Certificate of Completion of Specialty Training (CCST).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%