Core Anaesthetics Training - Where should you apply?

In this article, we break down the 2018 GMC National Training Survey data by region, to find out which deaneries are rated highest for overall satisfaction and workload for Core Anaesthetics Training. We also compare how competitive each deanery is to get into. Please note that due to the layout of the GMC data, we were unable to include the ratings from ACCS trainees.

Choosing where to apply is a decision that involves a number of personal factors – but we hope that this snapshot will provide an interesting and thought-provoking overview to kickstart your research.

Here’s the result of our number crunching:

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We’ve plotted overall satisfaction against workload for each deanery, and represented the national averages as the axes for comparison. For example, all data points to the right of the y axis have a higher than national average satisfaction rating.

Deaneries were ranked by competition ratios from the most recent application round that had data available – in this case, it was from 2017. The most competitive deaneries are shown in red, those that are moderately competitive in yellow, and the least competitive in green. However, it is important to look at trends of competition ratios from the past few years as it can be misleading to focus on data from a single year:

Key Takeaways

South West has the highest satisfaction rating.

South West Deanery trainees have a higher than average workload, but give their training programme the highest rating for overall satisfaction in spite of this. It is a competitive deanery – consistently in the top third for competition ratios for the past few years.

In a similar fashion, Wales deanery has the worst workload rating of all the regions, but its trainees are very satisfied with their training overall. A plus point here is the fact that it is has been one of the easiest programmes to get into for the past few years.

London is competitive but has lower than average satisfaction ratings.

London is consistently in the top 5 most competitive deaneries but its trainees report lower than average ratings for overall satisfaction, with an average workload rating. Only East Midlands had a lower satisfaction rating in 2018.

Thames Valley deanery was the most competitive region in 2017, but this aligned with a reputation for manageable workloads and good trainee satisfaction.