Supernumerary senior house offices in anaesthesia: a review of a regional training scheme, 1962-1972.

The Sheffield Regional Hospital Board, which became the Trent Regional Health Authority in 1974, initiated a scheme for training of Senior House Officers in anaesthesia in 1962; between 1962 and 1972, 73 graduates passed through the scheme of whom 29 (40%)* held consultant posts at the time of the review (mid 1979), another 8 (11%)* were senior registrars and on the way to consultant status. None of the 16 overseas graduates had achieved consultant status although one was a senior registrar. Twenty-six (35-6%)* of the 73 doctors (15(20-5%)* United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland graduates and 11 (15-1%)* from overseas) are thought to have left the practice of anaesthesia although some of these were not traced and may indeed be practising, and some of the females have indicated an intention to return to the specialty when their children are older.