Preferencing without a league table
How to compare O&G training programmes
There is no defensible universal ranking. Compare the environment in which you will learn, work nights and live for several years, then use official programme information and current trainee conversations to test assumptions.
Map geography and rotation footprint
List hospitals, usual placement length, commuting, relocation and cross-site on-call. A region that looks compact on a map can still create difficult journeys after nights.
Compare clinical breadth and graded responsibility
Ask how district-general and tertiary exposure are balanced, when trainees lead labour ward under supervision, and how acute gynaecology, benign surgery, oncology, fertility and fetal medicine are accessed.
Ask how operating and ultrasound training are protected
Service demand does not automatically produce learning. Ask how lists are allocated, competencies tracked, missed opportunities recovered and simulation or skills teaching organised.
Test the support model
Look for named educational supervision, return-to-work support, exam preparation, wellbeing processes, trainee representation and a credible route for raising concerns.
Match optional opportunities to real goals
Research, education, leadership, academic programmes and subspecialty access matter when you intend to use them. They should not outweigh basic rota sustainability and core training quality.
Check LTFT and leave in practice
National policy is only part of the experience. Ask current trainees how placements, nights, module access, annual leave and parental leave work locally.
From understanding to practice
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