GP 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 GP Training. We also compare how competitive each deanery is to get into.

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:

Data sourced from GMC National Training Survey 2018. Please head here to access the source data in full and read a full explanation of the methodology used by the GMC.

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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 (2018). 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:

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Key Takeaways

North East and Wessex have the highest ratings.

North East and Wessex clearly lead the way in terms of trainee overall satisfaction and manageable workloads. Interestingly, despite their excellent ratings, they have consistently had some of the lowest competition ratios for the past few years.

Northern Ireland, Wales and South West also rank well but have higher levels of competition.

London is the most competitive.

For the past three years running, London has been the most competitive deanery. However, it ranks poorly for overall satisfaction, and has an average workload rating.