Career intentions and choices of paediatricians entering training in the UK

摘要

The paediatric workforce has grown substantially in recent years and roles\udhave considerably changed with the introduction of working time legislation\udand a move towards trained doctor solutions. This study aims to assess\udwhether the right workforce is being trained to meet future demand for\udpaediatric services by gaining a better understanding of paediatric trainees’\udcareer intentions\udMethod: The RCPCH workforce team devised a questionnaire survey sent to\udpaediatric specialist trainees when they were expected to have completed\udtheir ST1 year or Fixed Term Specialty Training Appointments (FTSTA)\udtrainees in 2009 (part 1) and paediatric specialist trainees when they were\udexpected to have completed their ST3 year in 2011 (part 2).\udResults: For part 1 of the survey, the response rate was 79.1%. In part 2 an\udoverall response rate of 80.5% was achieved and 80% in part 1. 87.4% of\udthose who had responded to part 1 also responded to part 2. The attrition rate\udbetween ST1 and ST3 was 15%. Of those still training in paediatrics, at ST3\ud38.7% intended to be subspecialty paediatricians, 25.7% general\udpaediatricians, 5.4% community paediatricians, 3.5% academic\udpaediatricians, 26% were undecided and 0.6% did not intend to be\udpaediatricians. The proportion of trainees who are undecided about their\udcareer intentions had risen substantially from 7.7% at ST1 to 26% at ST3 and\udthere was an overall decrease in trainees’ confidence in obtaining a\udconsultant post between ST1 and ST3, with only 11.4% of trainees now\udstating they are confident in obtaining a post in their chosen specialty.Conclusion: Tracking the career progression of paediatric trainees provides\udgreater insight into the workforce planning for future paediatricians. Workforce\udplanning is a complex task and these results indicate assumptions about final\udcareers, and even intention to remain within paediatrics, should not be made.