TY - UNPB
T1 - The socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of United Kingdom junior doctors in training across specialities.
AU - Rodríguez Santana, Idaira
AU - Chalkley, Martin John
PY - 2015/12
Y1 - 2015/12
N2 - Objective: To analyse the distribution of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of medical
trainees across different specialties in the UK. Design: Mixed logistic regression analysis of data from the National Training Survey 2013 to quantify
evidence of systematic relationships between doctors’ characteristics and the specialty they are
training in, controlling for the correlation between these characteristics. Setting: Data from the National Training Survey 2013, carried out by the General Medical Council. Participants: Postgraduate medical trainees. Main outcome measures: Odds ratios (calculated for both all trainees and a subsample of UK
educated trainees) relating gender, age, ethnicity, place of studies, socioeconomic background and
parental education to a trainee’s specialty. Results: There are systematic and substantial differences between specialties in respect of gender,
ethnicity, age and socio-economic background. Being male, white British, from a better-off socioeconomic
background, trained in a UK university or having parents who have tertiary education
increases the chances of being in surgical specialties relative to general practice. Being male, nonwhite,
mature, trained in an overseas university, from a better-off socio-economic background, or
having parents who have tertiary education increases the chances of being in psychiatric specialties
relative to general practice. Measured relative to general practice the gender gap is largest for
surgical specialities, the ethnicity gap is greatest for acute care, emergency medicine and
anaesthetics and the age-gap is large and positive for psychiatry and large and negative for acute
care, emergency medicine and anesthetics. Conclusions: Differences in the characteristics of trainees will feed into the composition of the
practicing profession. The persistent gender gap, the under-representation of those coming from the
disadvantaged backgrounds and the inequity of educational background in some specialties will
condition perceptions of the NHS and the medical profession. Our analysis contributes to a fuller
understanding of the nature of these differences, which may be a matter for public concern and
policy action. Remedial action if required will necessitate a better understanding of the processes of
selection and self-selection into specialties that gives rise to these observed differences.
AB - Objective: To analyse the distribution of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of medical
trainees across different specialties in the UK. Design: Mixed logistic regression analysis of data from the National Training Survey 2013 to quantify
evidence of systematic relationships between doctors’ characteristics and the specialty they are
training in, controlling for the correlation between these characteristics. Setting: Data from the National Training Survey 2013, carried out by the General Medical Council. Participants: Postgraduate medical trainees. Main outcome measures: Odds ratios (calculated for both all trainees and a subsample of UK
educated trainees) relating gender, age, ethnicity, place of studies, socioeconomic background and
parental education to a trainee’s specialty. Results: There are systematic and substantial differences between specialties in respect of gender,
ethnicity, age and socio-economic background. Being male, white British, from a better-off socioeconomic
background, trained in a UK university or having parents who have tertiary education
increases the chances of being in surgical specialties relative to general practice. Being male, nonwhite,
mature, trained in an overseas university, from a better-off socio-economic background, or
having parents who have tertiary education increases the chances of being in psychiatric specialties
relative to general practice. Measured relative to general practice the gender gap is largest for
surgical specialities, the ethnicity gap is greatest for acute care, emergency medicine and
anaesthetics and the age-gap is large and positive for psychiatry and large and negative for acute
care, emergency medicine and anesthetics. Conclusions: Differences in the characteristics of trainees will feed into the composition of the
practicing profession. The persistent gender gap, the under-representation of those coming from the
disadvantaged backgrounds and the inequity of educational background in some specialties will
condition perceptions of the NHS and the medical profession. Our analysis contributes to a fuller
understanding of the nature of these differences, which may be a matter for public concern and
policy action. Remedial action if required will necessitate a better understanding of the processes of
selection and self-selection into specialties that gives rise to these observed differences.
M3 - Discussion paper
T3 - CHE Research Paper
SP - 1
EP - 15
BT - The socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of United Kingdom junior doctors in training across specialities.
PB - Centre for Health Economics, University of York
CY - York, UK
ER -