AN INTELLIGENCE REPORT

State of Medical Education & Doctors in the UK 2026

What medical students and doctors across the UK told us about confidence, training and the future of the profession.
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THE DATA

The story behind the statistics

From medical school to senior clinical roles, the findings reveal a consistent pattern: confidence, morale and career certainty decline as responsibility increases. These four insights capture the themes shaping medical education today.
75%

Optimism starts high

Three in four early-year medical students feel optimistic about their future in medicine, reflecting strong enthusiasm at the start of training.
78%

Confidence drops in practice

Most foundation doctors do not feel confident entering clinical practice, highlighting the challenge of transitioning from medical school to frontline care.
54%

Morale declines over time

More than half of foundation and senior doctors feel pessimistic about their future in medicine, despite remaining committed to patient care.
31%

Retention is under pressure

Nearly one-third of respondents are actively planning to leave UK medicine or switch specialty, with many more considering doing so.

Hear from the profession

Behind every statistic is a personal experience. These anonymised quotes, shared by medical students and doctors across the UK, bring the report's findings to life.

“We need guaranteed training pathways, so we are not pushed to leave the country for places like Australia or New Zealand.”

MEDICAL STUDENT

“Education of resident doctors in FY is more about ticking a box than actual education of a subject.”

RESIDENT DOCTOR

“Staff the NHS better. Stop telling me about resilience.”

REGISTRAR

“Fix the lack of specialty training posts issue.”

sas doctor

“There is no point in creating further medical student places if there is no plan to increase training places”

REGISTRAR

Why we created this report

Medical education shapes the future of healthcare, but the experiences of those moving through training are less consistently explored. This report brings together the perspectives of medical students and doctors across the UK, providing evidence-led insights into confidence, preparedness, wellbeing, career progression and the future of the medical workforce.
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FOREWORD

A message from our Chairman

"Commitment to medicine remains strong, but uncertainty about its future is growing. This report brings those experiences into focus."

HUGH CAMPBELL
Chairman, Pastest
EXPLORE THE REPORT

Five chapters exploring the future of medical education and doctors

1

Confidence, preparedness & training gaps

Explore how confidence changes from medical school through to consultancy, and where training falls short of preparing doctors for clinical practice.

2

Retention risk & career uncertainty

Understand what's driving doctors to reconsider their future in UK medicine, from progression pathways to workforce planning.

3

Specialty training & recruitment pressures

Discover how competition ratios and limited training capacity are influencing career progression across the profession.

4

Morale & optimism

See how morale changes throughout a medical career, and why optimism declines as responsibility increases.

5

Career diversification

Learn why more doctors are exploring alternative career pathways and what this means for the future workforce.

GET THE FULL REPORT

Download the full report

Explore the complete findings through detailed analysis, expert commentary and data visualisations that reveal the experiences shaping medical education and the future of the UK medical workforce.
Download the report