How can we cure MTAS?

doi:10.1136/bmj.39156.723484.FA

BMJ 2007;334:601 (24 March), doi:10.1136/bmj.39156.723484.FA

Letters

MTAS

How can we cure MTAS?

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

In MTAS (medical training application system) the number ofinterviewees selected has been determined by the capacity ofthe service to deliver the interview slots rather than the idealnumber to shortlist when up to 75% of candidates at any oneinterview do not want the post as their first choice.¹ Havinggiven 30 days of Scottish paediatric consultant time to shortlisting,we will shortly be giving 105 consultant days to interviewingnot enough candidates to be confident of filling the posts onthe first round. The outcome is likely to be that we will gointo June with many trainees still without a post and many postsstill to be filled across the country.

MTAS could be modified so that everyone who achieves the essentialcriteria is offered an interview for their first choice application.The other candidates interviewed in each area would be determinedby shortlist scoring. This . . . [Full text of this article]

Peter D Macdonald, consultant paediatrician

Southern General Hospital, Glasgow G51 4TF

peter.macdonald@sgh.scot.nhs.uk