title: The MD thesis in the training of a consultant physician.
abstract: A postal survey was carried out among the 94 consultant physicians of the South Western region (83% response rate) to ascertain their attitudes to the tradition of obtaining an MD by thesis as part of a physician's training. Most felt that the practice was questionable, and only half felt that it made an important contribution. For some, doing an MD had been a painful experience, even a waste of time. Having an MD impressed selection committees, but did not appear to alter the length of training nor the probability of obtaining a consultant post in a teaching hospital. We suggest that the MD is of limited value in judging a junior doctor's suitability to be a consultant physician.
authors.affiliation: Frenchay Hospital, Bristol.
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Harvey
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Burns-Cox
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Heaton
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003253:Consultants / Q000523:psychology*; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000592:standards*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D004739:England; D006801:Humans; D012106:Research / Q000193:education*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires