United Kingdom oral and maxillofacial surgeons support changes to current specialty recruitment process, which could include 'Walport' style local selection and national benchmarking

Divya Sharma; James Douglas; Anne Begley; Iain Hutchison; Patrick Magennis

doi:10.1016/j.bjoms.2024.03.002

United Kingdom oral and maxillofacial surgeons support changes to current specialty recruitment process, which could include 'Walport' style local selection and national benchmarking

Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2024 Mar 19:S0266-4356(24)00057-3. doi: 10.1016/j.bjoms.2024.03.002. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Divya Sharma¹, James Douglas², Anne Begley³, Iain Hutchison⁴, Patrick Magennis⁵

Affiliations

¹ University Hospitals Bristol and Weston, United Kingdom. Electronic address: divyashelly87@gmail.com.
² OMFS Specialty Trainee Yorkshire & Humber, United Kingdom. Electronic address: james.douglas4@nhs.net.
³ Consultant OMFS - Aintree University Hospitals NHS Trust, United Kingdom. Electronic address: anne.begley@liverpoolft.nhs.uk.
⁴ Barts and The London Institute of Dentistry, United Kingdom. Electronic address: iainhutchison@nhs.net.
⁵ Consultant OMFS - Aintree University Hospitals NHS Trust, United Kingdom. Electronic address: Patrick.magennis@liverpoolft.nhs.uk.

PMID: 38714378
DOI: 10.1016/j.bjoms.2024.03.002

Abstract

Recruitment to oral and maxillofacial Surgical (OMFS) specialty training was centralised in 2010. The 'flexibility' for OMFS to respond to specialty specific recruitment issues is reducing and many Specialty Trainees' (ST) posts are left unfilled. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) appointment process designed to address the problem of recruiting and appointing academic surgeons with local selection with national benchmarking has worked. Using a database of all UK OMFS consultants/trainees, an electronic questionnaire was shared by e-mail, WhatsApp, and other social media. Of 306 replies, 125 (41%) were Consultants/post-certificate of completion training (CCT) individuals, 66 (22%) ST, 61 (20%) second degree students, 27 (9%) pre-second degree, 26 (9%) dual degree pre-ST trainees, and one did not indicate their status. A total of 249 (76%) studied dentistry first and 230 (75%) were male. Of those replying, 147 (48%) had no direct experience of national selection. 120 (39%) had experience as a candidate, 20 (7%) as a selector only, 17 (6%) as a candidate and selector, and two did not record their experience. Of 250 expressing an opinion, 156 (62%) supported local selection with 140 (56%) supporting local selection and national benchmarking, which is a process used for research training posts by the NIHR. Geographical continuity was most important for 78% of pre-second-degree trainees, 45% of STs, and 54% of second-degree students. A total of 57 respondents completed free text comments. There is support for changes in OMFS ST selection including creating OMFS posts which include Foundation and second-degree training in NIHR style locally recruited nationally benchmarked posts.

Keywords: Advice; Local Recruitment; Local Selection; Local Selection and National Benchmarking; NIHR; National Institute of Health Research; National Recruitment; National Selection; OMFS; Opinion; Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; Recommendations; Recruitment; Retention; Selection; Surgery; Survey; Wastage; workforce.