Exams are eroding anaesthetic trainees’ work-life balance, college warns

Professional examinations are eroding trainees’ work-life balance, the Royal College of Anaesthetists has said.

In a report on the welfare and morale of anaesthetists in training, the college said that trainees felt that exams were stressful and not always relevant to contemporary clinical practice.1

“Anaesthetists in training who struggled with exams felt there was inadequate support from the college, resulting in repeated unsuccessful attempts and increasing demotivation,” the report said.

Trainees also felt under pressure to sit exams when they were poorly prepared, the report said, and some felt that the cost of exams …