Training less than full-time in surgery

To quote the chapter on 'Women in Medicine' in the chief medical officer's annual report, 'Today the problem is not access to medical school but rather how we ensure that the female medical workforce is able to fulfil its potential once in employment.' I would go further than this and extend the premise to all medical graduates entering a career in surgery. One of the main obstacles to career progression in surgery is the perceived poor quality of life while training. More latterly and more worryingly, this has extended to the belief that life as a consultant surgeon in the future will afford horizons no further than the theatre walls within which we work. One of the possible ways to try and improve work–life balance is to extend the period of time taken for training, such that surgical competency is achieved at an individual rate.