Email - 2 March 2007

From Mmc

2 March 2007

Dear Colleagues

Firstly I want to congratulate those of you who have been successful so far in the first round. We all wish you well with the interviews. We really hope you find a place in our career pathway. For those of you who have not been selected or not yet heard, there is much to say. The first thing to say is please do not despair. We are aware that you are far from alone and that there are many able young doctors who have not been selected in the first round, often to the considerable surprise and concern of their supervisors and consultants. We are sorry you have been unsuccessful so far and we really want to encourage and help you to be successful in the second round. Those of you with the ability and desire should stick with it and look to entry at the next opportunity, now that we know that selection has been less effective than expected. Careful reassessment of how to approach the questions may be required. The College will be briefing Regional Advisers to offer advice on how best to approach these apparently simple but demanding questions. No system of selection is perfect at this stage, but we must strive to work with MTAS and the authors of this system to make it as fair as possible. As it stands at present we feel the system may have problems with its power to discriminate, although it is clear that the numbers that assessors had to deal with was also relevant. We have had much feedback from colleagues and trainees. Those selected for interviews are obviously content, while those not selected are frequently frustrated, angry and disillusioned. To be accepted into a specialty a trainee needs determination, qualifications, attitude and aptitude. The system devised is a start in this respect but obviously needs improvement. From the many comments forwarded to us, we are distilling the most significant and will inform MMC as to the changes we feel should be considered and implemented for the second round. Many of our Fellows and Members are frustrated too. They have invested much time and effort in the selection process, and although some are content that the new system is capable of selecting the best trainees, many strongly believe that there are serious flaws that need to be addressed. Be assured that I and my colleagues in the College will be doing everything to ensure that the best, most appropriate trainees, get the opportunity to follow their chosen career. Please stick with your desire to do Obstetrics and Gynaecology and to pursue a career in Women’s Health, and we will look to a more successful second round, when we will also try to get clarity on the number of training slots available.

Yours sincerely

Professor Allan Templeton, President