Consultant attitudes to the specialist registrar grade in otolaryngology

Objective: To determine the attitudes of consultant otolaryngologists to the changes in training within their specialty as a result of the introduction of the new specialist registrar grade and to possible changes in their own work patterns. All respondents were asked to outline their own training so that it could be compared to those currently undergoing training. Design: Postal questionnaire. Subjects: All members of the British Association of Otolaryngologists registered as consultant surgeons working in the United Kingdom. Results: Replies were received from 278 (58 per cent). One-hundred-and-seventy-five (64 per cent) felt that the new training scheme was too short. One-hundred-and-seventy-six (65 per cent) also indicated that training should definitely or probably be extended by an extra 'fellowship' year. In the past the average number of years spent training in otolaryngology was 7.8 years. This is no different from the length of training that the current of specialist registrars will undergo. Two-hundred-and-thirty-seven (86 per cent) would refuse to ever return to first on-call duties and up to a third of current consultants would seriously consider leaving the National Health Service if there were full implementation of the Calman proposals. Conclusion: There is considerable antagonism to the introduction of 'Calman training'. Many of the concerns may be challenged when one examines the structure of previous surgical training. There must be more communication between those who set agendas and those who have to work with them if the transition from traditional to Calman training is to take place smoothly.