Key result
Reforms in UK postgraduate medical education, including reduced working hours and shorter training times, may lead to fewer operative opportunities for junior surgical trainees.
Recent educational reforms in the UK may have inadvertently reduced the operative exposure available to junior surgical trainees.
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Reduced operative exposure may compromise trainee competency; leaves open whether targeted interventions can restore adequate surgical experience.
The evolution of postgraduate medical education in the UK continues to influence the quality of surgical training. Many reforms over the last three decades have affected training, including the Calman reforms, Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) and the European Working Time Directive (EWTD). The net effect of these changes is a reduction in working hours and shorter total training time for surgical trainees. Compounded by increasing subspecialisation, centralisation of surgical services and surgeon-specific data reporting, there may be fewer operative opportunities for surgical trainees.
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Toll et al. (2010) studied Surgical training. Postgraduate medical education reforms (Calman, MMC, EWTD) was evaluated on Operative opportunities for surgical trainees. Reforms in UK postgraduate medical education, including reduced working hours and shorter training times, may lead to fewer operative opportunities for junior surgical trainees.
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