Bookmarkers beware: Bookmarks to pages other than the home page may not work after we change our server in April Editor's Choice | This Week in BMJ | Press releases BMJ No 7129 Volume 316 Letters Saturday 7 February 1998 Under half of senior house officers in Anglia in 1997 were United Kingdom graduates Editor, The senior house officer grade in Britain has seen the effects of the new deal on junior doctors' hours and conditions, recent rapid expansion,(1) problems in recruitment, and an imbalance of people and places.(2) To find out the present make up of the grade, the Anglian postgraduate dean's database of 3 July 1997 was analysed. Of 682 trainees in post, 469 held nationality or residence status in countries in the European Economic Area (EEA).(3) A total of 314 were United Kingdom graduates; 155 others had EEA status and had qualified in other European countries (131) or elsewhere (24) - their medical schools had been mainly in Germany (57) and Spain (35). There were 213 senior house officers without EEA status (referred to here as overseas doctors); among these, the largest number by far (93) had graduated in India. The ratio of United Kingdom graduates to other EEA graduates to overseas doctors in the region ranged from 70:13:17 at the teaching hospital to 18:40:42 at one district general hospital. The average ratio at the nine district hospitals in the deanery was 41:25:34. Differences between specialties were seen, with United Kingdom doctors being in the majority in medicine (54:20:26) and in a minority in obstetrics and gynaecology (31:34:34). Time since qualification showed large differences between United Kingdom doctors (average 3.9 years), other EEA doctors (5.5 years), and overseas doctors (7.6 years). Many senior house officers had qualified more than 10 years previously (12 (4%) United Kingdom doctors, 13 (8%) other EEA doctors, and 43 (20%) overseas doctors). Thirty doctors in the grade had qualified more than 15 years previously, and some up to 28 years previously. These figures are from only one deanery, but there must be doubt about whether recruiting more than half of senior house officers from countries other than the United Kingdom is sustainable. Is it appropriate for so many doctors still to be in the senior house officer grade - the general professional training grade - more than 10 years after qualification, and should a major revision of the grade be undertaken? John Biggs Postgraduate dean University of Cambridge Clinical School, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 2SP References 1 Government Statistical Services. Statistical bulletin. London: Department of Health, 1997. 2 Leman P, Little F, Duby A, Williams DJ. 'Clearing house' is needed to match available junior doctors to unfilled SHO posts. BMJ 1997;315:1016-7. (18 October.) 3 Department of Health. A guide to specialist registrar training. London: DoH, 1996:51. Home | Current issue | Past issues | Classified ads | Career Focus | Feedback Collections | About this site | About the BMJ | BMA | Medline