Academic medicine: the continuing challenges

Abstract

Background: Numbers of academic medicine trainees have been declining internationally. Many countries have taken differing approaches to improving recruitment, with some having established pathways. In the UK, the academic foundation programme (AFP) is one such pathway aimed towards those interested in an academic medical career. Variation exists amongst universities with respect to application and success rates. As a group of AFP doctors, we aimed to explore these issues. Numbers of academic medicine trainees have been declining internationally METHODS: We created and implemented a 1-day national course, comprising lectures and small group workshops, geared towards informing applicants about the AFP. It was evaluated via pre- and post-course questionnaires using a Likert scale, ranging from 1 to 5. We created and implemented a 1-day national course, comprising lectures and small group workshops, geared towards informing applicants about the AFP RESULTS: A total of 150 attendees were present from 16 different medical schools; 95% (143/150) of the attendees filled in both questionnaires. Attendees appeared unaware of the stages involved in the application process and felt underprepared. Following the course, learners reported median scores (with interquartile limits) that demonstrated increased overall knowledge, from 2 (1) to 4 (1) (p < 0.01), and increased preparedness, from 2 (1) to 3 (1) (p < 0.01).

Discussion: Our findings indicate that recruitment remains challenging, even in countries with established pathways. In the UK, the awareness of these pathways appears to be poor and courses such as ours may remedy that. Further exploration into the most effective methods to increase recruitment is necessary. The effect of institutional disparities in research culture and impact on application success needs investigation. Perhaps medical schools should introduce students to the prospect of academic careers earlier in training. Globally, efforts still need to be concentrated largely towards establishing integrated pathways.