Views of specialist registrars on specialty care in the community: employment prospects and the need for additional training.

Abstract

To obtain the views of specialist registrars on specialty care in the community. Specialist registrars from five Deaneries in England completed an online questionnaire about their views on employment prospects, the role of specialty care in the community, and the need for additional training in this area. One hundred and twenty seven replies were received over a four week period. Thirty (24%) viewed their future employment prospects as consultants as poor or very worrying. Seventy seven (61%) specialist registrars considered that as consultants they will need to work directly in the community. Thirty nine of these (51%) considered the need to work close to patients directly in the community as either a "bad" or "very bad" development. However, 102 (80%) specialist registrars believed that they should receive training on the delivery of specialty care in the community and 96 (76%) wanted this in the form of a university based degree.