Fisher J M, Hunt K, Garside M J
JM Fisher Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Wansbeck General Hospital Woodhorn Lane Ashington NE63 9JJ. Email
J R Coll Physicians Edinb. 2014;44(2):106-10. doi: 10.4997/JRCPE.2014.203.
To meet the needs of the ageing population, more geriatric medicine doctors are required. We aimed to determine: (i) career preferences of junior doctors with an interest in geriatric medicine, (ii) factors influencing the likelihood of junior doctors undertaking a career in geriatric medicine and (iii) whether a geriatric medicine conference for junior doctors influenced their views on the specialty and their likelihood of choosing it as a career option.
All delegates who registered to attend the 'Geriatrics for Juniors' conference (G4J) were invited to complete both a pre- and post-conference survey online. Delegates' free-text responses were subjected to thematic analysis. Differences between paired ordinal data from pre- and post-conference surveys were determined using the Wilcoxon signed rank test.
A total of 108 delegates attended G4J. Pre- and post-conference survey response rates were 67% and 51% respectively. Commonly reported deterrents to a career in geriatric medicine included 'being the medical registrar' (27.1% of respondents) and 'second-class specialty' (20.6%). There was a statistically significant difference between pre- and post-conference responses, with a tendency towards less agreement with the statement 'the prospect of being the medical registrar puts me off applying for higher specialty training in geriatric medicine' (Z=-2.512; p=0.012).
The perceived unattractive nature of the medical registrar role may deter some junior doctors from a career in geriatric medicine. A lack of clarity regarding the nature of the specialty still exists. Targeted educational interventions, such as G4J, may positively influence junior doctors' perceptions of the specialty and the role of the medical registrar.
为满足老龄化人口的需求，需要更多的老年医学医生。我们旨在确定：（i）对老年医学感兴趣的初级医生的职业偏好；（ii）影响初级医生从事老年医学职业可能性的因素；（iii）针对初级医生的老年医学会议是否会影响他们对该专业的看法以及将其作为职业选择的可能性。
所有注册参加“初级医生老年医学”会议（G4J）的代表都被邀请在线完成会前和会后调查。对代表们的自由文本回复进行主题分析。使用Wilcoxon符号秩检验确定会前和会后调查的配对有序数据之间的差异。
共有108名代表参加了G4J。会前和会后调查的回复率分别为67%和51%。常见的阻碍从事老年医学职业的因素包括“担任内科住院医师”（27.1%的受访者）和“二流专业”（20.6%）。会前和会后回复之间存在统计学上的显著差异，对于“担任内科住院医师的前景使我不愿申请老年医学高级专科培训”这一说法的认同度有降低的趋势（Z=-2.５12；p=0.012）。
内科住院医师角色被认为缺乏吸引力可能会阻碍一些初级医生从事老年医学职业。该专业的性质仍不明确。有针对性的教育干预措施，如G4J，可能会对初级医生对该专业和内科住院医师角色的看法产生积极影响。
