Hundreds of aspiring surgeons, unable to obtain specialist training posts this year, are being “left adrift in the medical training system,” an investigation by BMJ Careers has reported.



The sum of wasted education this represents runs well into the millions, the report said.



According to deanery statistics, the bodies responsible for doctors’ training, only a handful of this year's core trainees in general surgery were even interviewed for a specialist training (ST3) post and none were appointed at all across the Northern, and Yorkshire and Humber areas.



Research by Dr Alison Carr, Dean Advisor for MMC England to the Medical Programme Board in June, also shows that in 2010 fewer than a quarter of doctors qualifying in 2005-6 were recruited to ST3 posts. Competition ratios ranged from 4.4 applicants per post to 14.9 applicants per post in some specialties.



Dr Carr also showed there was a bottleneck of surgical trainees, some of whom have been waiting as long as 13 years for an ST3 post. 



Shreelata Datta, Chair of the British Medical Association Junior Doctors Committee, said the mismatch between core training and surgical training posts was “absolutely shocking” and could be costing the NHS several million pounds a year. Some may be forced to “look elsewhere and take their skills abroad,” while others may leave medicine altogether, she warned.



Richard Marks, Remedy UK’s Head of Policy, said too many trainees were being deliberately put through the medical training system. “Trainees are caught up in a system that is fundamentally deceptive. They might as well chuck their CVs up in the air.” 

Yet this large disparity is known to government.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health said surgical training had “always been highly competitive. The profession knows this and is supportive of it - competition helps to ensure that the best candidates progress in the field.”



The Royal College of Surgeons is now urging the Department to extend the surgical core training period from two to three years. The British Medical Association will also be liaising with the College and the Department to “make sure the importance of career progression is prioritised in surgery.”



In an accompanying commentary, Edward Davies, Editor of BMJ Careers said: “Healthy competition is good for standards and surgery is extremely popular” but argues that “this much competition is not good for anybody.”

He concluded there is no magic bullet to fix this, but that certain core issues need urgent addressing. Firstly, the Department of Health must decide whether junior doctors are supposed to be the consultants of tomorrow or cheap labour for now. There needs to be more joined up thinking about professional numbers, based around service needs, and there needs to be much more honesty around what is achievable in a medical career.

(BMcN/KMcA)