ABSTRACT
The review of the aspects of British postgraduate medical education was promised in The National Health Service (NHS) Plan laid out by the Government in 2000. The mention of such a review in a high-level policy document such as The NHS Plan is indicative of just how important addressing some of the key issues in postgraduate medical education was deemed to be. Modernising Medical Careers, however, addressed a far wider range of issues than just the senior house officer grade. Doctors undertake a period of basic or general professional training before entering specialist training. They have two competitive hurdles that must be surmounted: to get into basic training, and to get into specialist training. The number of applications for flexible training is increasing each year as medical schools expand and the percentage of female doctors increases. Young doctors want a better life-work balance and the new pay deal for flexible trainees made it a financially attractive option.
