2,281 posters, 63 videos, 56 audios, 43 topics, 18 sessions, 6,174 authors, 2,323 institutions

RCOG World Congress 2025

June 23 - 25, 2025 | ExCeL London, UK

EP.2129

Women's Health Teaching Series for UK Pre-Speciality Applicants: Impact and Future Direction

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Poster Presenter

Kyriaki-Barbara Papalois

Authors

Kyriaki-Barbara Papalois, Lauren Fox, Natasha Citeroni-Clark, Anna Harvey Bluemel, Lily Copping, Joshua Boyes, Lucy Thompson

Affiliations

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Churchill Hospital Old Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 7LE, UK, Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, St Peter’s Hospital, Guildford Rd, Lyne, Chertsey KT16 0PZ, UK, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, Frimley Park Hospital, Portsmouth Rd, Frimley, Camberley, Surrey, GU16 7UJ, UK, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Headington, Oxford OX3 9DU, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Charing Cross Hospital, Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8RF, UK

Part of Topic

Simulation & training

Women's Health Webinar Teaching Series for Pre-Speciality Applicants in the UK: Impact and Future Direction

Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) is a rewarding and versatile specialty with many opportunities and challenges including a competition ratio of 7:1 for a national training post (1-3). We sought to organise a national teaching series to raise trainee awareness and confidence about the application process.

Gaps in knowledge surrounding the application process were identified by representatives of the British Undergraduate Society of O&G (BUSOG); (1,3) a national network affiliated with the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (RCOG) aimed to further the interests of medical students and pre-specialty doctors in O&G (Figure A). A teaching series was organised on applications to Women’s Health.

We ran a national online webinar teaching series on MedAll, a virtual medical learning platform between 13th-27th November 2025 for UK medical students and resident doctors. Lectures were included on applying to: O&G; Community Sexual and Reproductive Health; and Academic Clinical Fellow Posts. The speakers consisted of specialty trainees in the aforementioned respective fields from Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS), Thames Valley and North East Deaneries. Speakers provided a lecture on the application process and provided insight into their post and experience; and Pre-Specialty Ambassadors from the BUSOG facilitated sessions. Confidence scores were compared before and after the sessions on applications and the interview process. Qualitative data on feedback was also collected (Figure B).

123 individuals signed up for the webinar series, which included medical students (68.9%) and resident doctors (31.1%) (Figure C, Da).Confidence in applying to each specialty improved after the webinar (p<0.05,95%CI 0.09520-3.025) (Figure D b,c). Moreover, confidence in knowledge about the interview process improved after the sessions (p=0.0516,95%CI -0.02789-3.335). Participants found the content was useful for their training and encouraged them to pursue the specialty. Qualitative data collected from feedback was positive, for example, one attendee responded: “...Hearing about the presenter's journey not being the most conventional one was really inspiring, being a competitive speciality always made it feel like an unachievable goal, hearing their story makes it feel possible”. (Figure D,d)

We conducted a national webinar teaching series on specialty applications to women’s health. The course improved trainee confidence in the interview and application process. The success of this webinar reiterated the need for transparency in specialty recruitment and to provide applicants with sufficient knowledge to make an informed choice when applying. It also highlighted that there is scope to expand similar teaching series to sub-specialties within O&G and develop resources to further support applicants.