UK infection trainees workforce survey

• The changes to infection training in the last 10 years have changed the landscape of infection training posts across the UK. This survey has highlighted several key issues which should be considered when planning future training and consultant posts. • 70 trainees responded to the BIA survey. A considerable number of trainees have thought about changing specialities within infection training mainly due to concerns over job prospects and work-life balance. Specialities that are associated with the laboratory (ID/MM, ID/MV, MM and MV) are perceived to have a better work-life balance than those combined with IM. Trainees, regardless of current role, were concerned about job prospects in their chosen speciality. Some were concerned that ID/MM consultant posts weren’t being made, but others were concerned that consultant posts for Infection Specialists now required you to have a CCT in Medical Microbiology. Those who were looking into changing speciality were deterred by the bureaucracy and financial implications, as well as changes in work-life balance and relocation concerns. • Most trainees see themselves working in the speciality in which they are currently due to CCT, with many seeing themselves working LTFT. Of those who think they will work in a different speciality, a number are planning to drop their sub-speciality component (IM, MV or MM for example). Some trainees mentioned they would like to work with a more generalised title such as “Infection Specialist”. Also of note, over half of trainees see themselves working LTFT in clinical practice when they CCT. • This survey highlights trainee concerns over job availability and work-life balance alongside the likelihood of many trainees working clinically LTFT post-CCT. Future consultant posts and job plans should reflect this to ensure continuing service provision and workforce. In addition, the concerns of trainees over job availability need to be addressed. Currently we are surveying consultants who have recently gained their CCTs to establish what posts they have taken up and if they are satisfied with their current job plans to accompany this work. In addition we are in the process of developing example job plans for ID/MM consultants. In 2014, UK Infection training was restructured with the introduction of Combined Infection Training (CIT). This increased the number of posts leading to dual CCT, e.g. in Infectious Diseases/ Medical Microbiology (ID/MM) or Infectious Diseases/ Medical Virology (ID/MV) with a concomitant decrease in single specialty CCT. The single CCT in infectious diseases has been withdrawn and accreditation is no longer possible. There is single specialty accreditation for MM and MV. The Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board (JRCPTB), Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) and British Infection Association (BIA) were therefore keen to understand more about motivations of trainees when selecting their training pathway, why some change training pathway and what specialities they plan to work in post-CCT. An 11-question survey was sent to all UK infection trainees who are BIA members. There were 72 respondents, two respondents did not live in the UK, therefore 70 qualitative responses were analysed. All grades and 9/10 regions were represented in the survey. All infection specialities were represented in the survey except TM/ IM (Tropical Medicine/ Internal Medicine), TM/ MV (Tropical Medicine/ Medical Virology) and single speciality MV. 23/70 trainees currently work LTFT, however, 38/70 of all trainees seeing themselves working LTFT in clinical practice when they CCT. Over half of trainees have taken time out of training. A third of trainees have considered changing speciality. 2 considered changing speciality completely, the rest considered changing speciality within the infection specialities (although 5 of these considered different specialities too). Common reasons were workload, work-life balance, and job prospects. Those who considered working in a different infection speciality are mainly keen to drop their sub-speciality component (IM, ID, MV or MM for example). 41/70 trainees see themselves working a consultant in the infection sub-specialities they are currently training in. we are also looking at the roles of Infection Specialists who have recently gained CCT to compare these results and are in the process of developing example job plans for ID/MM consultants.