EP.TU.526Is a foundation interim year one post better for improving confidence in general surgery in a tertiary centre or a district general hospital?

Aims 1. Understand the confidence levels in caring for general surgical patients of current foundation year one (FY1) doctors in who have had foundation interim year one (FiY1) post in a tertiary centre (TC) and a district general hospital (DGH). 2. Determine whether there is a difference in the experience of the FiY1 post in a TC or DGH. Methods FY1s doctors were surveyed throughout August – December 2020. Nine questions used Likert scales (1 to 5: not at all confident to very confident) over some common general surgical themes. Data was initially inputted using Google Docs and analysed in Microsoft Excel. Results 20% (6/30) from a DGH and 80% (24/30) from a TC Confidence levels were higher for FY1s who had a FiY1 post in a TC as opposed to a DGH in dealing with acute general surgical patients, appendicitis and scrubbing in theatre. Confidence levels were the same in both a TC and DGH for FY1s in managing those with hepatobiliary disease, prescribing fluids for resuscitation and maintenance as well as speaking to a family when a patient is dying and speaking to a patient when their diagnosis is unknown. Conclusions FY1s who had a FiY1 post in a TC had better confidence levels in more areas as opposed to a DGH. The experience of the FiY1 post should be more standardised to ensure the growth of confidence across all areas identified in the survey.