This is the 14th survey reporting the experiences of, and outcomes for, physicians within a year of gaining their CCT (certificate of completion of training). It covers physicians who gained their CCT in 2021 in all 30 medical specialties in the UK.
This unique survey is a collaboration between the RCP’s Medical Workforce Unit and the Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board (JRCPTB) on behalf of the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK. It has monitored changing outcomes for CCT holders since 2009.
Key findings
LTFT working - The survey findings highlight the increasing trend towards LTFT working, with 30% of respondents having trained LTFT (up from 27% previously) and the same proportion working LTFT or flexibly after CCT. It appears that more opportunities to take up consultant roles on an LTFT basis would be welcome, given that 17% of those working full time said that they would have preferred an LTFT contract – wider pressures on the health service were cited as a limiting factor.
Clinical research - The survey suggests that there is strong interest in clinical research among CCT holders, with 68% of respondents in touch with local CRN specialty leads and 58% saying that they would like to do more research. However, just 25% undertook research in their consultant post and only 31% had research in their job plan.
Transition from Trainee to Consultant - The transition from trainee to consultant is a particularly key moment in career progression, and nearly one in 12 (8%) respondents said that they were unprepared for this. The survey demonstrates that new consultants feel they would benefit from greater access to mentors and new consultant development programmes, and only a third (32%) of respondents received a specific new consultant induction.
We believe that every newly appointed consultant should be offered mentoring (be it through the department, trust or externally), leadership development, networking and opportunities to improve personal wellbeing. The royal colleges are not prescriptive about how the hospital/trust/health board does this, but do think this opportunity should be available to all new consultants.