Invest to Progress? A Survey of the Cost of Postgraduate Training Prior to Specialty Applications in the United Kingdom

Aim: Clinical training is expensive. This survey of foundation doctors across four UK foundation deaneries (Severn, Wales, South Thames and Scotland) identifies that highly variable sums of money were spent by foundation doctors applying for specialty training.

Place and Duration of Study: Bristol Royal Infirmary and University Hospital of Wales, between September 2015 and July 2016.

Methodology: A total of 1506 foundation year two (FY2) doctors were invited to participate in the online survey. Participants were canvassed via ten questions pertaining to their involvement in four groups of career enhancing activities: training courses; postgraduate examinations; qualifications, and conference attendances. The survey was closed after a ‘live’ period of 5 months. 100 FY2 doctors had completed the survey at the time of its closure.

Results: Of the 100 participants, 89 (89.0%) had undertaken at least one career enhancing activity, with a mean expenditure of £1460 per respondent. Surgical and academic programme applicants spent on average over double the amount of those for anaesthetics (p = 0.01) and medicine (p = 0.001) and ten times that of applicants to general practice (p = 0.0001).

Conclusions: These results have potential implications for training expectations, allocation of study budgets and specialty application processes as a whole.