Please find attached a letter of thanks for all your hard work as an Examiner for ICBSE and for your Royal Colleges of Surgeons. I hope that this may be useful for your academic portfolios, or during appraisal and revalidation. 

During the last year I have been increasingly aware of the pressures on Examiners with respect to granting of leave by their Trusts to undertake examining duties, and of the commitments in time and effort for you, that examining and assessing entails. This has been the subject of discussion at the Joint Surgical Colleges Meeting (JSCM), with the four Royal College Presidents, all of whom are supportive of your efforts.

My special thanks go to our cadre of overseas Examiners, Convenors, and Assessors, who often have to make significant efforts to attend examination venues. I am delighted that during the last year we have been able to appoint overseas Fellows as Assessors and have welcomed our first lady Assessors - long overdue!

As I come to demit my role of Chair of ICBSE I would like to let you know what a pleasure it has been to work with so many of you and I will continue to work on your behalf with all four of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons.

With kind regards, 

Frank

Professor Frank CT Smith BSc MSc MD FRCSEng FRCSEd FRCSGlas FEBVS FHEA

Chair Intercollegiate Board of Basic Surgical Examinations (ICBSE)