Career trajectories and black holes

doi:10.1136/bmj.b2374

Published 11 June 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b2374
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b2374

Editor's Choice

Career trajectories and black holes

Tony Delamothe, deputy editor, BMJ

tdelamothe@bmj.com

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

Over the years, a lot of rubbish has been talked about the trajectoryof medical careers in Britain, usually with the motive of drummingup special sympathy, or extra money, for some put upon groupor other.

So it’s refreshing to encounter what look like definitivediscussions of the topic: a report from the Royal College ofPhysicians and two studies from the UK Medical Careers ResearchGroup in Oxford. The first study (based on surveys of all doctorsworking in the NHS who graduated in 1977, 1988, and 1993) foundthat the key factor determining career progression was workingpattern, not female sex. Working part time delayed progressionto consultant or GP principal status equally in men and women.Women and men working full time got there earlier—butprogressed at identical rates (doi:10.1136/bmj.b1735).

In his editorial, Graham Winyard endorses the conclusion ofthe college’s report that "the . . . [Full text of this article]

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