Why geriatric medicine? A survey of UK specialist trainees in geriatric medicine

Fisher, James M.; Garside, Mark J.; Brock, Peter; Gibson, Vicky; Hunt, Kelly K.; Briggs, Sally; Gordon, Adam L.

Abstract

Background: There is global concern that there are insufficient numbers of geriatricians to meet the needs of the ageing population. A 2005 survey described factors that influenced why UK geriatricians had chosen to specialise in the field - in the decade since, UK postgraduate training has undergone a fundamental restructure.

Objective: To explore whether the reasons for choosing a career in geriatric medicine in the UK had changed over time, with the goal of using this knowledge to inform recruitment and training initiatives.

Design: An online survey was sent to all UK higher medical trainees in geriatric medicine.

Methods: Survey questions that produced categorical data were analysed with simple descriptive statistics. For the survey questions that produced free-text responses, an inductive, iterative approach to analysis, in keeping with the principles of framework analysis, was employed.

Results: 269 responses were received out of 641 eligible respondents. Compared with the previous survey, a substantially larger number of respondents regarded geriatric medicine to be their first-choice specialty and a smaller number regretted their career decision. A greater number chose geriatric medicine early in their medical careers. Commitments to the general medical rota and the burden of service provision were considered important downsides to the specialty.

Conclusions: There are reasons to be optimistic about recruitment to geriatric medicine. Future attempts to drive up recruitment might legitimately focus on the role of the medical registrar and perceptions that geriatricians shoulder a disproportionate burden of service commitments and obligations to the acute medical take.

Citation

Fisher, J. M., Garside, M. J., Brock, P., Gibson, V., Hunt, K. K., Briggs, S., & Gordon, A. L. (2017). Why geriatric medicine? A survey of UK specialist trainees in geriatric medicine. Age and Ageing, 46(4), 672-677. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afx009

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 1, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Feb 6, 2017
• Publication Date: Jul 1, 2017
• Deposit Date: Dec 20, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 6, 2017
• Journal: Age and Ageing
• Print ISSN: 0002-0729
• Electronic ISSN: 1468-2834
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 46
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 672-677
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afx009
• Keywords: geriatric medicine, postgraduate training, careers, specialist training, medical registrar, older people
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/869555
• Publisher URL: https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article/2970256/Why
• Additional Information: This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in Age and Ageing following peer review. The version of record, James Michael Fisher, Mark J. Garside, Peter Brock, Vicky Gibson, Kelly Hunt, Sally Briggs, Adam Lee Gordon; Why geriatric medicine? A survey of UK specialist trainees in geriatric medicine, Age and Ageing, Volume 46, Issue 4, 1 July 2017, Pages 672–677, https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afx009 is available online at: https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/ageing/afx009 and doi: 10.1093/ageing/afx009.