{
  "abstract": "Background and Aims Cardiology is a dynamic and diverse medical specialty, which has typically attracted more applicants than the number of available training posts. In the UK, the postgraduate training pathway is highly structured but longer than is typical in other countries. Understanding the reasons for, and perceived barriers to, applying for cardiology training is vital to interpret current application trends and address modifiable barriers to entry. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on behalf of the British Junior Cardiologists’ Association (BJCA) Starter to assess the opinions of resident doctors interested in pursuing a career in cardiology.Methods A link to an online survey was disseminated via electronic newsletters, post-graduate education deaneries, and the BJCA website to members of BJCA Starter who did not yet hold a National Training Number in cardiology. The survey was distributed and accepted responses between 23 July and 26 October 2024. Data were collected on six domains: demographic information, intention to pursue a career in cardiology, prior clinical and academic experiences, reasons for and perceived barriers to applying for cardiology training (assessed using a Likert scale from one to five), and the impact of the transition from core medical training to internal medicine training.Results Responses were received from 171 of 307 (56%) eligible BJCA Starter members. Of 171 participants, 109 (63.7%) stated they would definitely, and 29 (17.0%) would probably, apply for cardiology training. Formal research training was limited; of those who had published research, 77 (45.0%) had published fewer than five articles. The primary motivating factor for applying was the opportunity to perform invasive procedures (mean 4.2 ± standard deviation (SD) 1.0); competition was identified as the most significant barrier, on average (3.8 ± SD 1.2). Non-white respondents reported ethnicity as a more significant barrier compared to white respondents (2.8 ± SD 1.2 vs 2.1 ± SD 1.1; p < 0.01). Females reported gender as a stronger barrier compared to males (3.0 ± SD 1.4 vs 2.0 ± SD 1.2; p < 0.01). The transition to internal medicine training was viewed by 111 respondents (64.9%) as primarily serving the purpose of service provision.Conclusions This national education survey conducted on behalf of BJCA Starter reports the reasons for and perceived barriers to applying for cardiology training in the UK. Addressing modifiable barriers to entry may enhance the accessibility of cardiology and would potentially encourage a more diverse range of resident doctors to apply. Our data should allow potential applicants to make an informed decision as to their specialty of choice, and may help counter the misconception that a lack of formal research training and outputs or higher degrees are barriers to entry.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK",
        "University of Leeds, Leeds, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Ankit Gupta"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, Frimley, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Lucy Lawson"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Jonathan JH Bray"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK",
        "University of Leeds, Leeds, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Oliver Brown"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University of Leeds, Leeds, UK",
        "Bradford Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust, Bradford, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Michael Drozd"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University of Leeds, Leeds, UK",
        "Bradford Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust, Bradford, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Sam Straw"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Holly Morgan"
    }
  ],
  "title": "2-015 So, you want to be a cardiologist? Reasons for and perceived barriers to applying for cardiology training in the UK",
  "uid": "72483a3b-7c86-5f9f-8d9e-4fbbdf42926e"
}