SP8.8 - Inspiring Overseas Surgeons for a Life in the NHS: Results from an International Cohort

Abstract Aims Entry into the NHS can be fraught with difficulty, especially when entering from outside of the UK. Numerous socioeconomic and cultural barriers exist, which can be prohibitory. Currently only extremely limited methods of motivating international medical graduates (IMG) exist. Surgical specialist training recruitment has decreased over the past few years. We instigated an innovative introduction to the NHS with the aim of inspiring overseas doctors to pursue a career within surgery in the NHS. Methods An agenda was created targeted at medical students and IMG. Speakers were recruited based upon these including students and doctors who had visited the NHS or are current workers. Collaboration was sought with international students who aided with distribution. Individuals were invited to sign up via an electronic link. The session was delivered with free online video conferencing software. Participants answered a series of 5-point Likert scale questions. Results 102 registrations were received. Participants attended from Brazil (64.3%), USA (14.3%), India (7.1%) and the UK (7.1%). The event attracted a wide range of seniority from medical students (35.7%) to residents (7.1%). 100% of participants stated they had a better understanding of the NHS and 100% were more likely to attempt to enter the NHS after attending the event. Conclusions Chronic staffing shortages are a ubiquitous problem in the NHS. Application rates for surgical posts have been declining. Our innovative method of inspiring surgeons of the future has been shown to be effective in our international cohort.