Adding flexibility to physician training

Demographic changes among junior doctors are driving demand for increased flexibility in advanced physician training, but flexible training posts are lacking. Suitable flexible training models include flexible full-time, job-share and part-time positions. Major barriers to establishing flexible training positions include difficulty in finding job-share partners, lack of funding for creating supernumerary positions, and concern over equivalence of educational quality compared with full-time training. Pilot flexible training positions should be introduced across the medical specialties and educational outcomes examined prospectively.