GP trainees have more job satisfaction than other trainee doctors, survey finds

According to the General Medical Council’s (GMC) National Training Survey, GP trainees are more satisfied with their training than other doctor trainees who have specialised or are in foundation training programmes.

The survey included a range of questions based on workload, clinical support and provision of experience during training, and enabled GP trainers to give their views on training.

Across all programmes, the survey found that trainees’ overall satisfaction was 81.6 per cent, while GP trainees alone reported an overall satisfaction of 84.2 per cent. The trainees reported that most trainees believed their working environment was supportive enough to help deal with heavy workloads and 84.6 per cent confirmed clinical supervision was either good or excellent.

The survey included a range of questions based on workload, clinical support and provision of experience during training, and enabled GP trainers to give their views on training.

However, GP trainers who responded to the survey reported they were least likely to agree they had a comprehensive understanding of the curriculum, compared 81 per cent of doctors in speciality training.

Niall Dickson, GMC chief executive, commented: “We now expect local organisations to scrutinise the data that applies to them, and to identify and take prompt action to address any specific local concerns.

“At the same time, we will analyse the results and consider broader issues raised by doctors in training, including how well supported and supervised they feel, and the effectiveness of local reporting systems when issues arise.”