40 Across the Pond: Why Are Junior Doctors Seeking Surgical Training Abroad?. (4th May 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Irfan, A; Ahmed, I
• Is Part Of: British journal of surgery. Volume 108(2021)Supplement 2
• Publication Date: 2021-05-04
• Subjects: Surgery -- Periodicals; 617.005
• DOI: 10.1093/bjs/znab134.111
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0007-1323

Abstract

Abstract: Introduction: The loss of junior doctors from the NHS has been an ongoing issue. A subset are now seeking surgical training in other systems, such as the US. This is a costly and difficult process and many enter into undesignated positions with no guarantee of a job. With so much career uncertainty, why are trainees willing to take the risk? Method: We performed a survey of trainees who graduated from British medical schools; all are currently enrolled in a US surgical training programme. They were asked about their experiences and perceptions of Results: Nine trainees completed the survey. The most common time for trainees to move was during or after foundation training and the majority initially matched into preliminary positions. The most common reason cited to move was to receive better quality training. Many perceived the US training to be better and felt that they had a reasonable work-life balance. Conclusions: The potential loss of the future NHS surgical workforce is worrying. Our survey highlights that surgical trainees place a high value on the quality of their training and were willing to enter an intense and uncertain process to achieve it. This needs to be addressed to retain potential trainees.