More than 600 ophthalmologists in training took part in this year’s General Medical Council (GMC) National Training Survey, reporting they rate the quality of their training very highly but that they have concerns about burnout and over access to training opportunities in the independent sector.
The six key takeaways for ophthalmology are:
1 Quality of teaching, training and supervision remains very high
And higher than the average across all specialties. More than four out of five (87%) ophthalmologists in training rate the quality of teaching ‘good’, 83% believe the practical experience they are receiving is ‘good’ or ‘very good’, and 92% say the quality of their clinical supervision is ‘very good’ or ‘good’.
2 Progression continues to improve towards pre-COVID levels
It’s encouraging to see training progression bouncing back towards its pre-pandemic figure. Almost three quarters of ophthalmology trainees (74%) indicate they are on course to complete their target number of procedures. But 23% are not, and 7% of those say they’re significantly behind, so there are further improvements to be made.
3 Access to independent sector cataract training is improving but quicker progress is needed
The proportion of ophthalmology trainees who say they can easily access training opportunities in the independent sector continues to rise and is now up to almost a third (29%), which matches our own findings of important progress in this area. But there are still significant challenges: more than a quarter of trainees (28%) say independent sector supervisors are not available to train them and a similar proportion (24%) believe the complexity of cases they are exposed to is unsuitable. It’s clear that we must continue our work to ensure that training opportunities are available in the independent sector, where needed.
4 Most ophthalmology trainees plan to remain in the specialty
More than eight out of ten ophthalmologists in training see themselves continuing their training or working as a consultant in a year’s time (84%). This is welcome as we know there are severe shortages of ophthalmologists in many parts of the UK. We need to consider how best we support the remaining trainees who are still undecided or who are planning to change speciality, work outside the UK, take a career break, or leave medicine.
5 Burnout remains a concern amid signs of improvement
Trainees across all medical specialties report feeling burnt out and the GMC has rightfully highlighted this in its reporting of the survey results. Burnout experiences are lower among ophthalmologists in training than those in other specialties and, while levels are still concerning, there are signs of improvement since last year: 14% of ophthalmology trainees were burnt out to a very high degree in 2023 and this has now fallen to 8%. Nonetheless, more than half of ophthalmologists in training (58%) say they work beyond their rostered hours weekly or daily – a significantly higher proportion than the all-specialties’ average of 40%.
6 Ophthalmology has a supportive workplace culture
More than four in five (81%) ophthalmology trainees agree their working environment is a fully supportive one, and slightly more (83%) say that staff always treat each other with respect. These are both slightly higher than the average across all specialties. Consideration should be given to those who may need further support.
The GMC’s annual National Training Survey gathers the views of all medical trainees on their training experiences and future aspirations. You can see the full findings here.
These insights help us understand the experiences of ophthalmologists in training across the UK and are invaluable for tracking where progress is being made and where new challenges are emerging. We will use them to inform our influencing activities and to support improvements in the ophthalmology training programme.