Selection of individuals for training in surgery

Surgical training in the United Kingdom and Europe is in transition given the pressure to decrease the number of workweek hours and the numbers of years in training. To achieve this shortened training in the United Kingdom, the primary component will be the foundational education, which will last for 2 years, with the second year perhaps counting toward specialist training. It would be a potential advantage for achieving rapid surgical training if we could preselect those students with the necessary attributes of a surgeon. During the foundation period there is exists the question of assessment, so this might be a natural point at which to preselect these students. This article considers psychometric assessment as a methodology of preselecting surgeons and considers objective assessment as a possibility during the foundational education period.