The audit, commissioned by the HSE, was carried out by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland in 2007/2008 and involved all stakeholders responsible for postgraduate medical training. Data on over 3,500 SHO and Registrar posts was collected and provides, for the first time in Ireland, a comprehensive national database of posts in all specialties.

Commenting on the report, the Chair of the Audit Steering Group and CEO of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Mr Leo Kearns said “The data gathered during this audit is a unique resource that, if further analysed and maintained, will support strategic planning in the field of postgraduate medical education and training. This resource must be utilised to the fullest extent possible, thereby helping to deliver improved training opportunities for all doctors and raising standards across the spectrum of medical education and training.”

The data now available has highlighted a number of issues:

·The current and future role of the registrar grade as a training post

·The structured progression of doctors through the postgraduate training pathway

·The number of posts not accredited for training

·The registration status of doctors with an approved postgraduate training body

·The future management of stand–alone training posts

The lack of national data in a wide range of areas in medical education was formally identified as a major issue in both the Fottrell (2006) and Buttimer (2006) Reports.  In particular, the Buttimer Report highlighted how the lack of data on SHO and Registrar posts at a national level was a significant obstacle to improving the training opportunities available to doctors in these posts, or indeed, to identifying their training needs in the first instance.

Expanding on the reports recommendations Mr Kearns said “Another key recommendation contained in this report is the establishment without delay of a working group, comprised of representatives from the HSE, the Medical Council, the Postgraduate Training Bodies, the Department of Health and Children and the Postgraduate Medical and Dental Board, in order to further analyse the data gathered during the audit and develop plans and strategies to address the issues and challenges identified.”

Click here for a copy of the Report of the Audit Steering Group

www.hse.ie

www.rcpi.ie

www.pgmdb.ie

For further information please contact;

Paul McAuliffe, Communications Manager

Royal College of Physicians of Ireland

Direct : 01 8639765
Mobile : 087 682 1046
Main Ph: 01 8639700
paulmcauliffe@rcpi.ie
www.rcpi.ie

•           3,016 active Senior House Officer (SHO) and Registrar posts were identified.

•           78% of these posts had been accredited for training by one of the recognised postgraduate training bodies.

•           Of those posts accredited for training, just under half of them have been incorporated onto structured rotation programmes.

•           40% of respondents were Irish nationals, 14% were Pakistani and 9% were Sudanese.  The next three largest groups of nationals were Malaysian, Indian and Nigerian, each comprising 5%.

•           45% of respondents were graduates of Irish medical schools.

•           For respondents whose nationality is Irish, the male to female ratio is 50:50, whilst the same ratio is roughly 80:20 for respondents whose nationality is not Irish.

•           The mean (median) age of SHOs was 30 (29) years.

•           The mean (median) age of Registrars was 38 (37) years.

•           41% of respondents were within 4 years of graduation from medical school, 25% were within 5 – 9 years of graduation whilst 34% graduated 10 or more years ago.

•           68% of respondents had spent 3 years or less in SHO and Registrar posts, 28% had spent 4 – 10 years in SHO and Registrar posts and 4% had spent more than 10 years in these grades.

•           39% of respondents reported that they have completed basic specialist training, 37% of those had applied for higher specialist training.

•           46% of respondents indicated that their future career intention was to be a consultant in their current speciality in Ireland, while 26% indicated their intention to be consultants abroad.

•           98% respondents on general practice training schemes indicated they would like to become general practitioners.

The above data does not include psychiatry posts, which are listed separately in the report.