Findings from Training Post Evaluation 2016 - 2020 published in new report

Findings from the first five years of the Training Post Evaluation (2016 – 2020) have been published in a new report.  The Training Post Evaluation (TPE), launched by RCPI in 2016, gives Trainees the opportunity to provide honest and anonymous feedback on their training experiences.

The Training Post Evaluation (2016 – 2020) found training to be a positive experience for the majority of trainees with many doctors in training feeling supported and respected in their training posts while gaining exposure to a broad clinical case mix. The TPE also highlighted areas for improvement such as regular and timely feedback on performance, protected training time and work life balance.

Key Findings

• The number of evaluations received year on year has increased over the first three years of the evaluation. While representative, the number of evaluations received was equivalent to 30% of all rotations and therefore we aim to improve the engagement with the evaluation.
• The majority of training posts were rated positively, with 69% BST and 86% HST doctors in training likely to recommend them to their colleagues. In majority of the posts (62% BST, 73% HST), doctors in training felt that their working environment fully supports the confidence building of doctors in training.
• Many doctors in training are satisfied with the support they receive in their role from their Trainer and from the overall workplace and felt they were treated with respect. Importantly, in one in five Basic Specialist Trainees posts and in one in ten Higher Specialist posts, the Trainees felt their Trainer and/or workplace were not supportive.
• In majority of the posts (75% BST, 88% HST), the Trainees felt they were offered exposure to broad clinical case mix. However, in many posts (40% BST, 31% HST), Trainees did not always know who was providing their clinical supervision and they also felt they were not receiving regular and timely feedback on their performance.
• Insufficient protected training time and work life balance were frequently highlighted by doctors in training in most of the posts.

The findings are based on feedback from doctors in Basic and Higher Specialist Training programmes in 86 training sites across Ireland.  From 2021 onwards, the TPE will become a mandatory requirement of training for all incoming Trainees. This is to strengthen the response rate in order to continually drive improvement on our training sites.

Continually improving the quality of training for our Trainees

The TPE helps to identify the strengths and weaknesses of specific posts or training sites; allowing us to continually improve the quality of training for our Trainees. RCPI has already started to respond to the issues highlighted by Trainees via the Training Post Evaluation. The actions taken by RCPI to enhance training experiences are included at the end of the report.

RCPI is extremely grateful to all Trainees who participated in the Training Post Evaluation and strongly encourage all Trainees to complete the Training Post Evaluation when prompted. Without Trainee feedback, we would not have this valuable evidence base on which we can plan continuous quality improvement initiatives.