Career intentions and prospects of basic surgical trainees in the Northern Region of England.

Objective: To determine the seniority and career intentions of doctors in posts recognised for basic surgical training in the Northern Region of England and to relate it to the number of specialist registrar posts available.

Methods: Postal questionnaire to and telephone interviews with 270 doctors. The main outcome measures were: demographic details, career stage, and intentions regarding subspecialties of choice.

Results: Of the post-holders, 171 (63%) intended to pursue a surgical career and, of these, 69% (118/171) were graduates of British universities. Of these 171, 28% (48) were uncertain of their subspecialty of choice and 10% (17) intended to work abroad. The overall ratio for SHO:SpR posts was 1.6:1 for this region and 40% of all basic surgical trainees were in favour of a specialist training programme after PRHO.

Conclusions: Planning for surgical training and workforce needs to be supported by information about trainees' career plans and prospects.