Yearbook 2011
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The Association of Surgeons in Training the pursuit of excellence in training YEARBOOK 2011 The Future of Surgery Predictions from those who know Progressing in Surgery Standing out from the crowd Clinical Updates EVAR, Aesthetics & Simulations Medical Students Audits, CVs, Surgical Skills and more www.asit.org Registered Charity 274841 Page 1_Page 1 10/03/2011 11:10 Page 1 ASSOCIATION OF SURGEONS IN TRAINING YEARBOOK 2011 Published by THE ROWAN GROUP Boundary House, Boston Road, London W7 2QE Tel: 020 8434 3424 on behalf of THE ASSOCIATION OF SURGEONS IN TRAINING at the Royal College of Surgeons 35/43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PE Tel: 020 7973 0300 www.asit.org Page 3_Layout 1 22/03/2011 10:49 Page 1 Editor’s Foreword Jess Johnston ASiT EXECUTIVE ASiT COUNCIL POLITICAL PORTFOLIO I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to edit the 2011 ASiT Yearbook. The Yearbook is one of the main tools ASiT uses to give back to its members the support that you offer us. I hope this year’s will live up to your expectations in providing you with up to date clinical information and essential careers advice. As an organisation, ASiT is unique in uniting the voice of British surgical trainees and as such has an increasingly important political role. This year we present our position statement: The Future of Surgical TRAINING & CAREERS Training. This aspirational document outlines the essential changes required within the NHS to ensure provision of the highest quality of surgical care. Our Training and Education section includes many anecdotes from those who have taken different paths to progress up the surgical ladder. One interesting Roddy O'Kane our past Vice President advising James Nesbit and his juniors option for less than full time training illustrates the Luke and Michelle on the set of the new ITV drama ‘Munro’ challenges of striving for excellence simultaneously in Athletics and Orthopaedics. In combination with the Students as the three winners of the new ASiT/Elsevier SCIENTIFIC Medical Student articles I hope we can provide guidance elective prize describe the highlights of their trips. and advice for those at any stage. Many thanks to all of those who have taken time from It is always a delight to read reports from members their busy schedules to contribute. An especially big who have benefited from the many prizes and thank you to Ish Ahmed who, before handing over the fellowships ASiT now offers. This year, in addition to an role this summer, did a fantastic job of recruiting many excellent depiction of Neurosurgery in Argentina of these articles and thereby considerably easing my courtesy of our most recent winner of the role. I am also extremely grateful to our publisher, Anne ASiT/Covidien Travelling fellowship, for the first time Rowe of The Rowan Group, whose continued we are taken around the world with our Medical dedication keeps us on track every year. STUDENTS ASiT - the pursuit of excellence in training 3 Page 5-7_Layout 1 22/03/2011 10:06 Page 1 President’s Report Charlie Giddings ASiT EXECUTIVE ASiT COUNCIL Sitting in my room in hospital accommodation as a collective brain. Many Council members have been to general surgical SHO in 2000, watching the email group, many meetings and defended surgical training and fed I never imagined that I would become so involved with back current opinion. We have had better receptions POLITICAL PORTFOLIO the association. I had wanted to have a better under- in some quarters than others. To our supporters and standing of training issues, become better educated and friends, thank you. not be an “angry” trainee, but I also had a personal “The Future of Surgical Training” is our position connection. ASiT was founded 35 years ago and many of statement on what we see as the necessary the changes that have occurred in surgical training have developments to ensure quality in surgical training. The been through the work of the association - it is now report is available on the website and should be those founding consultants who are the decision makers appearing further on in this yearbook - I advise you all in the colleges now. to read it. It has been given significant discussion time in As ever the evolution of surgical training continues, but many forums and we are grateful that two council with help from ASiT hopefully in the right direction. To meetings at the RCSEng were dedicated to this those who have told me over the last year that “ASiT important subject. TRAINING & CAREERS doesn’t change anything” - you have no idea how bad Thank you to the over one thousand members who things would be without our timely intervention on completed our “Cost of surgical training” survey. As many responses and consultations! expected it told us what we all knew - that trainees pay The email forum has been rather quiet in recent times for a considerable proportion of their training and that and is an area we must improve for the future. It is one over the years that proportion has risen. The debate is of the greatest strengths of the association, where we wider than the £125 fee to support the administration gather wide-ranging opinion and benefit from our of training by the JCST; in fact this is small beer collective brain. I hope that in the future trainees have compared to the average medical student qualifying with the confidence and opportunity to post their thoughts £17,000 of debt. “But this is an investment in their own SCIENTIFIC and share ideas. future” some have said - it will also discriminate against those who are not independently wealthy. So What has ASiT Done This Year? A friend of mine now in core training left medical school ASiT’s role remains unchanged: As an organisation run with debts of £52,500; this not only means they have to by trainees for trainees our goals are to provide a voice save to sit examinations and take courses but also has for surgeons in training and improve the quality of more wide ranging consequences. This trainee is unable training for better patient care. We aim also to provide to get a bank loan, a mortgage or a credit card. an opportunity to present scientific data, attend Unbelievably they can’t even change mobile phone competitive courses and reap the reward of the provider as they have such a poor credit rating. This will STUDENTS ASiT - the pursuit of excellence in training 5 Page 5-7_Layout 1 22/03/2011 10:06 Page 2 not allow all trainees to compete for a surgical career. trainee posts was a deliberate act of workforce planning We will continue to pressure those in authority to allow designed to increase the proportion of care delivered by surgical education to be available to all and eagerly await consultants, especially out of hours. This opportunity to the outcome on the MPET review on the funding of provide higher quality and consistent patient care has medical education. not realised. ASiT EXECUTIVE Independence Future of the Surgical Workforce Independent representation for surgeons in training has It always surprises how new agencies are rapidly always been a principle that ASiT has stuck to. Many of introduced and have ambitious timescales; some even you will have been surprised this year when ASiT, provide reports prematurely. The Centre for Work- BOTA and the TSAB representatives were removed force Intelligence (CWFI) was born this year. A month from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh after the CWFI’s inception their first report was Council. We have tried to promote the benefits of ASiT published with recommendations! Organisations with to the RCSEd but our request for re-instatement on the decades of workforce experience were not consulted council has not been successful to date. The RCSEd is and it does not inspire confidence in the agency’s ability. experimenting with a new approach to gathering trainee The debate on whether the CCT is fit for purpose is ASiT COUNCIL opinion. After lobbying from ASiT and also a governance again upon us with some prominent individuals arguing review at the RCSEd a surgeon in training will be that the qualification has been degraded. This will again reinstated on their council. Unfortunately this Royal bring to the surface the sub-consultant grade debate. College insists that this trainee can only come from With newly qualified consultants already being offered within the membership of their college. different contracts in the private sector it is a worrying In 1976, right at the foundation of our association, the time. The title “Consultant” is one that is recognised by then President of RCSEng suggested that ASiT should patients, relatives and staff alike. It is also one that has be the trainee organisation of the RCSEng. He was been proven to provide high quality and the most cost worried that the association might form an independent effective model of healthcare. We must not focus on pressure group. His offer was declined and it is now not the negative effects that have occurred as the training difficult to see why. An isolated trainee on any council structure has changed, but instead on improving training will always be open to potential pressure and coercion, and the mentoring of young consultants, sadly this may as they do not have the protection of a mandated be too forward thinking for some. As for the existing independent body. It may also allow ambitious trainees sub-consultant grade - plenty of consultants are already POLITICAL PORTFOLIO to present themselves and not necessarily convey in that role - they just need adequate recognition by the true opinion.