Royal College Concerned About Impact of MTAS on Mental Health of Trainee Doctors
Mar 8, 2007 - 9:07:17 AM
, Reviewed by: Dr. Himanshu Tyagi
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“I am very passionate about my vocation. I constantly receive positive feedback on my clinical skills, work ethic, professionalism and this has been reflected in my appraisals. Yet I have not been short-listed for an interview and I am not unique in this regard. I don’t know how many have been subjected to this application process. For many of us, it is now a reality that we have lost control of our future career progression, as well as the ability to independently maintain our personal lives. It seems that the option given to us boils down ‘take whatever is offered and be grateful because many may not be as fortunate’. However, we are accountable to our families, our children’s schools, our mortgages, and our community …” - A Senior House Officer (SHO) in Psychiatry, London Rotation, March 2007
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Key Points of this article
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The impact of potential unemployment and the uncertainty on the human rights and mental health of trainees, their partners and families cannot be under-estimated
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What is MMC?
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Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) aims to improve patient care by delivering a modernised and focused career structure for doctors through a major reform of postgraduate medical education. It aims to develop demonstrably competent doctors who are skilled at communicating and working as effective members of a team. As training and education are central to the work of doctors and their role in delivering patient care, MMC will also bring about significant changes to career structures, providing qualified staff who are able to meet the needs of patients.
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By Royal College of Psychiatrists,
[RxPG] The Royal College of Psychiatrists has today expressed concern at the impact the chaos related that the Medical Application Service process is having on the mental health of trainee doctors.
“The impact of potential unemployment and the uncertainty on the human rights and mental health of trainees, their partners and families cannot be under-estimated, said Professor Dinesh Bhugra, Dean of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
“The College can report instances where the technology for referees has not worked, despite repeated emails and calls to the helpdesk. For instance, referees have not been able to click answers which say ‘yes’ as to whether they would employ a particular trainee; they could only click ‘no’ in response to the question “would you employ this applicant?”.
“We are saddened to see that in some schemes only 6% of existing trainees have been short-listed, in spite of the fact that they had previously been interviewed and selected for the jobs they are doing, continued Professor Bhugra. The College was not consulted about the ratings for short-listing applicants.
“We are very concerned about the total lack of transparency in the short-listing process. If the process was fair and valid, then good trainees should have been short-listed across all Deaneries. The eligibility criteria are universal, therefore it is difficult to understand why trainees have been short-listed in one area, but not in another.
“We would like to support our trainees and encourage them to go with the process pending its urgent review. We are pushing hard to gather information on applicant/vacancy ratios, variations across Deaneries and feedback to unsuccessful applicants.
“We would encourage Modernising Medical Careers to select randomly a number of applicants, both successful and unsuccessful, to conduct an independent assessment of quality, concluded Professor Bhugra”
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About Dr. Himanshu Tyagi
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This news story has been reviewed by Dr. Himanshu Tyagi before its publication on RxPG News website. Dr. Himanshu Tyagi, MBBS is the founder editor and manager for RxPG News. In this position he is responsible for content development and overall website and editorial management functions. His areas of special interest are psychological therapies and evidence based journalism.
RxPG News is committed to promotion and implementation of Evidence Based Medical Journalism in all channels of mass media including internet.
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Additional information about the news article
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The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the professional and educational body for psychiatrists in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. We promote mental health by: Setting standards and promoting excellence in mental health care; Improving understanding through research and education; Leading, representing, training and supporting psychiatrists; Working with patients, carers and their organisations.
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