J L Reid1. 1. Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Glasgow, UK.
Abstract
AIMS: To obtain information about the speciality of clinical pharmacology and therapeutics in the United Kingdom. METHODS: A survey of the views of 26 individuals in academic posts in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics was carried out by postal questionnaire. Response rate was 100%. RESULTS: Of 25 assessable responses of 25 centres, there were 35 academic staff of professorial status (median 2, range 0-5) and 61 staff of reader/senior lecturer status (median 2, range 0-5) but only 20 clinical staff in training grades in 19 institutions. All had extensive clinical commitments. Two-thirds of respondents considered that the speciality was stable locally and nationally. However, recruitment of trainees was poor with only 8% of responders having several good applicants for each post and 90% reported that recruitment had deteriorated in the last 5-10 years. Likely good future careers for clinical pharmacologists in training were considered by 75-80% of respondents to likely lie in the pharmaceutical industry or regulatory authorities. Greater flexibility is required to facilitate training in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics in the United Kingdom has a strong academic base but a sub-optimal age structure. Recent experience in recruitment into training posts was disappointing. This may reflect wider problems of recruitment into academic medicine in this country.
AIMS: To obtain information about the speciality of clinical pharmacology and therapeutics in the United Kingdom. METHODS: A survey of the views of 26 individuals in academic posts in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics was carried out by postal questionnaire. Response rate was 100%. RESULTS: Of 25 assessable responses of 25 centres, there were 35 academic staff of professorial status (median 2, range 0-5) and 61 staff of reader/senior lecturer status (median 2, range 0-5) but only 20 clinical staff in training grades in 19 institutions. All had extensive clinical commitments. Two-thirds of respondents considered that the speciality was stable locally and nationally. However, recruitment of trainees was poor with only 8% of responders having several good applicants for each post and 90% reported that recruitment had deteriorated in the last 5-10 years. Likely good future careers for clinical pharmacologists in training were considered by 75-80% of respondents to likely lie in the pharmaceutical industry or regulatory authorities. Greater flexibility is required to facilitate training in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics in the United Kingdom has a strong academic base but a sub-optimal age structure. Recent experience in recruitment into training posts was disappointing. This may reflect wider problems of recruitment into academic medicine in this country.