Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Apr;191(2):945-950.
doi: 10.1007/s11845-021-02641-z. Epub 2021 May 29.

An analysis of the cost of postgraduate training in surgery in Ireland compared to other specialties

Earley H  1   2 , Mealy K  3   4
Affiliations

An analysis of the cost of postgraduate training in surgery in Ireland compared to other specialties

Earley H et al. Ir J Med Sci. 2022 Apr.

Abstract

Introduction: Postgraduate specialty training in Ireland is associated with considerable cost. Some of these are mandatory costs such as medical council fees, while others are necessary to ensure career progression, such as attendance at courses and conferences. In particular, surgical specialities are believed to be associated with high training costs. It is unknown how these costs compare to those borne by counterparts in other specialities.

Aims: The aims of this study were to 1. Quantify the amount that trainees in Ireland spend on postgraduate training 2. Determine whether a difference exists between surgery and other non-skill-based specialties in terms of expenditure on training METHODS: A standardised non-mandatory questionnaire was circulated to trainees across two training centres in Ireland. Trainees at all levels were invited to participate.

Results: Sixty responses were obtained. Fifty-seven questionnaires were fully completed and included for analysis. The median expenditure on training was higher for surgical than non-surgical specialities. Subgroup analysis revealed surgical training was associated with higher expenditure on higher degrees and courses compared to medical training (p = 0.035). > 95% of trainees surveyed felt that greater financial support should be available for trainees during the course of their training.

Conclusions: This study demonstrated that a career in surgery is associated with higher ongoing costs for higher degrees and courses than counterparts in non-surgical training. All surgical trainees surveyed felt that better financial support should be available. Increasing financial support for may be a tangible way to mitigate against attrition during training.

Keywords: Cost of training; Funding; Healthcare economics; Speciality training; Surgery; Surgical training.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The first author is a surgical trainee and was on the Irish Surgical Training Scheme at the time of conducting the study. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Ten-point questionnaire
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Breakdown of responses for those in specialty training by speciality
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Median expenditure in each category based on speciality and level of training
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Cofer JB, Burns RP (2008) The developing crisis in the national general surgery workforce. J Am Coll Surg 206(5):790–5; discussion 795–7 - PubMed
    1. Boyle E, et al. Career choices of today's medical students: where does surgery rank? Ir J Med Sci. 2013;182(3):337–343. doi: 10.1007/s11845-012-0882-x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kleinert R, et al. Generation Y and surgical residency - passing the baton or the end of the world as we know it? Results from a survey among medical students in Germany. PLoS ONE. 2017;12(11):e0188114. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0188114. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hill E, et al. You've got to know the rules to play the game: how medical students negotiate the hidden curriculum of surgical careers. Med Educ. 2014;48(9):884–894. doi: 10.1111/medu.12488. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Corless KG et al (2020) The future of general surgery in Ireland: factors influencing career decisions of medical students. Ir J Med Sci - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources