Medical graduates from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds are less likely to be allocated their first-choice school for Foundation Training, according to new research published in the BMJ Open.
The longitudinal, cohort study of 8,467 Foundation Programme doctors who commenced training in 2013 or 2014 showed statistically significant associations between certain sociodemographic characteristics and category of allocation to foundation school.
Applicants from White ethnic backgrounds were significantly more likely to be allocated to a higher choice foundation school than Black or Asian applicants (79% vs 47% and 56%; P<.001). The odds of an applicant of Asian ethnic group being allocated to a school of higher preference was 0.66 times that of a White applicant (P<.001). Similarly, the odds of a Black applicant being allocated to a higher preference were 0.61 (P<.001).
Female applicants were significantly more likely than male applicants to be allocated to a first-choice school (73% vs 69%; P<.001). A similar association was seen for students who attended state-funded versus private schools (74% vs 67%; P<0.01). A larger proportion of applicants from families that at some point received income support (P=.028) or free school meals (P=.043) did not get a place in a higher choice foundation school.
After adjusting for Foundation Training application score, no statistically significant effects were observed for gender, socioeconomic status (as determined by income support) or whether applicants entered medical school as graduates or not.
Compared to applicants who graduated from medical schools in England, graduates from schools in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland were 1.17, 3.22 and 12.64 times more likely to be allocated to a higher preference placement.