title: A new tool to evaluate postgraduate training posts: the Job Evaluation Survey Tool (JEST).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Three reports in 2013 about healthcare and patient safety in the UK, namely Berwick, Francis and Keogh have highlighted the need for junior doctors' views about their training experience to be heard. In the UK, the General Medical Council (GMC) quality assures medical training programmes and requires postgraduate deaneries to undertake quality management and monitoring of all training posts in their area. The aim of this study was to develop a simple trainee questionnaire for evaluation of postgraduate training posts based on the GMC, UK standards and to look at the reliability and validity including comparison with a well-established and internationally validated tool, the Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measure (PHEEM).
  
  
  METHODS
  The Job Evaluation Survey Tool (JEST), a fifteen item job evaluation questionnaire was drawn up in 2006, piloted with Foundation doctors (2007), field tested with specialist paediatric registrars (2008) and used over a three year period (2008-11) by Foundation Doctors. Statistical analyses including descriptives, reliability, correlation and factor analysis were undertaken and JEST compared with PHEEM.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The JEST had a reliability of 0.91 in the pilot study of 76 Foundation doctors, 0.88 in field testing of 173 Paediatric specialist registrars and 0.91 in three years of general use in foundation training with 3367 doctors completing JEST. Correlation of JEST with PHEEM was 0.80 (p < 0.001). Factor analysis showed two factors, a teaching factor and a social and lifestyle one.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The JEST has proved to be a simple, valid and reliable evaluation tool in the monitoring and evaluation of postgraduate hospital training posts.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wall
authors.affiliation: Health Education West Midlands, St Chad's Court, 213 Hagley Road, Birmingham B16 9RG, UK. Helen.Goodyear@wm.hee.nhs.uk.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Goodyear
authors.forename: Baldev
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Whitehouse
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Howes
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology*; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000592:standards; D006113:United Kingdom