Postgraduate medical journal
-
Factors influencing physician specialty choice is a prominent topic given the recruitment challenges faced by various specialties. We aimed to assess whether specialty exposure in the first foundation year was a positive predictive factor for permanent career choice. ⋯ For many specialties, direct experience within foundation training has a positive effect on later career choice.
-
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted students learning, with the time off resulting in students 'de-skilling', increasing concerns for upcoming observed structured clinical examinations. Foundation Year 1 (F1) doctors (F1s), despite being expected to teach, rarely receive formal preparation, with COVID-19 exacerbating opportunities to practice. As such, a national orthopaedic teaching programme was designed to provide F1s with opportunities to develop their teaching skills and to synergistically teach medical students how to perform clinical orthopaedic examinations. ⋯ We demonstrate that online delivery of clinical orthopaedic examinations is effective, increasing the knowledge and confidence of students, while providing opportunities for F1s to teach. We present our findings to encourage similar teaching programmes to be adopted at other locations and specialties, to synergistically benefit students, doctors and ultimately, patients.
-
Subcutaneous (SC) trastuzumab is similar to intravenous trastuzumab in terms of pharmacokinetics, efficacy and tolerability. The use of dual anti-HER2 agents trastuzumab and pertuzumab has become the new standard for node-positive HER2-positive breast cancers at adjuvant setting, but the safety and tolerability of combining SC trastuzumab and intravenous pertuzumab is not well studied. ⋯ Combination of SC trastuzumab and intravenous pertuzumab for HER2-positive breast cancer is a safe and well-tolerated option in adjuvant setting.
-
A competition ratio (CR) indicates the ratio of total applications for a training post when compared with numbers of specialty posts available. This study aimed to evaluate CRs' influence on National Training Number (NTN) selection in a single UK Statutory Education Body. ⋯ CRs displayed 30-fold variation, with CRs below 4.42 associated with twofold better NTN promotion, but strong clinical competence and academic reach again emerged as the principal drivers of career advancement.