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Table 4 Looking forwards: percentage of doctors, whose original choice was surgery, who eventually practised as surgeons

From: Early career choices and successful career progression in surgery in the UK: prospective cohort studies

 

Career destination in surgery

 

Men

Women

Total

Original Choice

%

n

N

%

n

N

%

n

N

Year 1

         

Surgery untied 1st

64.1

1091

1701

47.8

239

500

60.4

1330

2201

Surgery tied 1st

29.5

46

156

21.4

12

56

27.4

58

212

Surgery 2nd or 3rd

14.2

45

318

7.5

11

147

12.0

56

465

Choices other than surgery†

1.0

59

5273

0.7

40

5855

0.9

99

11128

Year 3

         

Surgery untied 1st

80.6

1120

1389

67.4

260

386

77.7

1380

1775

Surgery tied 1st

44.4

16

36

23.5

4

17

37.7

20

53

Surgery 2nd or 3rd

8.6

12

140

10.6

5

47

9.1

17

187

Choices other than surgery†

0.8

45

5611

0.3

15

5923

0.5

60

11534

Year 5*

         

Surgery untied 1st

91.4

1015

1111

81.8

256

313

89.3

1271

1424

Surgery tied 1st

26.3

5

19

62.5

5

8

37.0

10

27

Surgery 2nd or 3rd

6.1

3

49

15.8

3

19

8.8

16

68

Choices other than surgery†

0.5

22

4701

0.2

10

5187

0.3

32

9888

  1. The table covers all doctors who specified surgery as their choice of career at years one, three and five: percentages (and numbers) whose eventual career was in surgery at year ten (cohorts of 1974, 1977, 1983*, 1993, 1996) or seven (1999, 2000 cohorts)
  2. † Includes all respondents not making an explicit choice for surgery.
  3. * The 1983 cohort was not surveyed five years after graduation.