Future career in gastroenterology: how is it perceived by internal medicine trainees? Results from a national survey

Journal article

Objective: To investigate the perceptions of internal medicine trainees (IMTs) towards a career in gastroenterology and identify factors influencing their specialty choices. Design/Method: A 26-item electronic questionnaire was circulated to IMTs across the UK. The responses were analysed using descriptive statistics, χ² and multivariate analysis to identify differences in specialty perceptions and influencing factors based on demographic characteristics. Results: 316 IMTs, mean 29.2 years, 58.2% female, 56.3% Caucasian, participated. The majority (70.9%) graduated from UK medical schools and completed foundation training (76.0%). Only 10.1% identified gastroenterology as their most likely specialty despite being positively perceived as a specialty by 67.7% of trainees. Key factors influencing specialty selection were lifestyle/flexible work (73.1%), mentorship (60.4%) and patient-centred care (56.0%). Positive aspects of gastroenterology included specialty-specific procedures (80.1%), interesting and manageable patients (49.7%), and academic opportunities (33.2%). Negative aspects were a difficult workload (70.6%), ‘poor lifestyle’ (59.5%) and high burn-out risk (52.5%). Lifestyle and flexibility were more important for those not pursuing gastroenterology compared with those pursuing gastroenterology (p<0.001). Factors identified to increase diversity and inclusivity included less-than-full-time training, increased flexibility and job-sharing opportunities. These were significantly preferred by females, UK graduates and foundation programme completers (p<0.05). Conclusion: Gastroenterology remains a popular specialty among IMTs; however, addressing lifestyle concerns, enhancing mentorship and promoting diversity are essential for improving recruitment and retention. Reforming training pathways could further enhance the specialty’s appeal.

Authors: Akbani, U; Nigam, GB; Vasant, DH

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group
• Journal: Frontline Gastroenterology
• Article number: flgastro-2024-102846
• Publication date: 2024-12-09
• Acceptance date: 2024-11-18
• DOI: 10.1136/flgastro-2024-102846
• EISSN: 2041-4145
• ISSN: 2041-4137
• Language: English
• Keywords: SURGICAL TRAINING