Dear Trainee,

Many of you will have received my recent letter to Fellows and Members, however I felt the need to write individually to all RCSI trainees on CST and HST programmes to thank you for your outstanding contribution to the Heath Service over the past year and to assure you the RCSI will do everything possible to ensure that each of you will progress to the next year of your training unimpeded by the restrictions of COVID-19.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, RCSI has consistently advocated the importance of training with the Department of Health and the HSE, however the reality has always been that urgent need will always supersede the needs of  scheduled care. RCSI is very aware of the reduced training opportunities occasioned by COVID-19.We will continue to work through the Clinical Programmes, the Irish Forum of Post-Graduate Training Bodies, the specialty SACs, JCST and JSCM  (Joint Surgical Colleges Meeting) to ensure training progression.

It is important to realise that your personal health and safety must be assured. You will all have experienced frustration, exasperation and powerlessness in advocating for your patients’ interests. You will also have had to deal with the emotions and desperation of patients and their relatives and their fears that serious illness will  go undiagnosed or treatment delays will have adverse outcomes. These concerns are valid and deserve your attention and respect. Yet, these are extraordinary times that have brutally exposed shortcomings in health services not just in Ireland. Resilience lies with collegiality. Support your colleagues and we in RCSI will do our very best to support you – it is after all your College.

Thank you for your service in time of need,

Happy Christmas and a healthy New Year,

Sincerely

P. Ronan O’Connell

President

Dear Trainees,

As we approach the halfway mark for the academic year, I would like to provide an update of the activities of the ISTG committee to date and outline our plans for the year ahead.

Our annual Careers Day and Aspiring Surgeon Research Symposium took place virtually this year. Talks from each of the surgical specialties were very well received and attendees particularly appreciated the breakout sessions to ask questions of each individual specialty representative. Michelle Horan was the winner of the Aspiring Surgeon Research Symposium with her presentation “Predictors of stone related events in asymptomatic untreated intra-renal calculi”. We wish Michelle every success in her future career.

Plans are well underway for the ISTG meeting Saturday 5^th February with an exciting panel of speakers, our annual debate and the Bosco O’Mahony lecture. The meeting will be delivered in a hybrid format with a reduced number of in person delegates.

ISTG are working on a number of exciting projects and collaborations which will come to fruition in the coming months. In the new year we will launch an ISTG podcast with a series of exciting and stimulating talks. Our Silver Scalpel Trainee dinner event will take place at the end of the academic year in conjunction with a workshop aimed at senior trainees approaching consultancy. ISTG are working with the RCSI SurgSoc on a video series following on from the successful “So You Want To Be A Surgeon” series of informative videos on the istg website (www.istg.ie).

The primary work of the ISTG committee and representatives is to represent trainees and highlight trainee issues. I would like to thank the committee and representatives for their continued work engaging with trainees and attending meetings with the specialty training program directors. The RCSI department of Surgical Affairs have been hugely supportive towards all of the endeavours of ISTG and we thank them for their continued support. We look forward to another productive year with ISTG.

Michael Flanagan

ISTG President 2021-2022

As the incoming Director of National Surgical Training Programmes, I will be responsible for the efficient and effective provision and co-ordination of postgraduate surgical training across all surgical specialties. This role will involve a high degree of interaction and collaboration with all training programme directors, trainers, HSE management and key senior stakeholders including the Medical Council and the National Doctors Training and Planning Unit. I will transition into this role during the months of September and October in order to formally commence duties on November 1st next, During my tenure of office. I will continue to devote 50 per cent of my time to clinical practice in order to maintain connectivity with the multiple issues that broadly influence surgical practice across Model 3 and Model 4 hospitals.

The role of Director provides for participation in  all aspects of the interview, selection and allocation process of trainees within core and higher surgical training programmes across all surgical specialties. RCSI is committed to a significant expansion of the various surgical training programmes in order to meet future Consultant workforce requirements in both the public and private sectors over the next ten years. In that respect, eighty core surgical trainees were appointed in July of this year, to commence phase 1 of surgical training under a new curriculum for each specialty. It is envisaged that from July 2023 onwards,  sixty trainees per year will be appointed to the various higher surgical training programmes in order  to progress to phases 2 (ST 3- 6) and 3 (ST7-8) of training. By comparison, thirty seven trainees were appointed to higher surgical training programmes in July of this year.

I will also remain centrally involved in the ongoing assessment of trainee performance during core and higher surgical training. I have participated in the Intercollegiate examinations process since 2007 and will continue to do so in order to maintain my familiarity with summative assessment of our trainees as they approach the final years of training. Within the existing structures at RCSI, I will participate in all committees related to surgical training as well as representing the interests of RCSI from a training perspective on external committees at both national and international levels.

The new curriculum requirements as agreed at an Intercollegiate level with the JCST and the SAC are now operational for all surgical trainees with the exception of final year trainees. Within the structures of the new curriculum for each surgical specialty, considerable emphasis is placed on the generality of the specialty including competency in emergency surgical management. This is in line with international best practice as greater focus comes to bear on the outcomes for emergency surgery, and particularly in the context of an ageing population. The end product of training will remain the same- the Day 1 Consultant. The high level outcomes of training that require successful achievement by all trainees and common to all surgical specialties include-

1. Managing the outpatient clinic

2. Managing the unselected emergency take 

3. Managing ward rounds and the on-going care of in-patients

4. Managing an operating list

5. Managing multi-disciplinary working

These high level outcomes are known as capabilities in practice and will be assessed within the framework of the Multiple Consultant Report (MCR). The format of the MCR will provide for a more meaningful and holistic assessment of each trainee within the clinical environment by all Consultant trainers within a designated training unit. 

Assessment in an outcomes based curriculum through the MCR therefore examines each trainee from the perspective of each of the capabilities in practice. Training is capability based with indicative times in which the majority of trainees will be expected to complete training. There is the potential also for trainees to progress faster through training if they demonstrate the necessary capabilities. In addition , the modular structures of the new curriculum will permit flexibility to respond to changing service demands within our health service in the future. The details of each specialty  curriculum are clearly presented on the Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Project website and can be accessed at www.iscp.ac.uk

The Intercollegiate Committee for Basic Surgical Examinations (ICBSE) and the four Surgical Royal Colleges of the United Kingdom and in Ireland can now confirm the MRCS exam schedule for 2022. Read more about the MRCS exam schedule here.

Please see our FAQ document for any further questions.

I commenced as chairperson of the CST Committee in January 2020. Professor Fergal Quinn completed this 3-year tenure prior to that. The committee meets 4 times per year and includes representatives from the surgical specialties. The committee is actively involved in all aspects of selection for surgical training and progression through the early years of training. We endeavour to continually evolve to meet the changing healthcare needs of our patients. In 2021 the number of trainees entering CST1 increased from 60 to 80. This will translate into increased numbers of fully trained consultant surgeons in 8-10 years’ time to address the increasing health needs of our population.

The annual recruitment for Core Surgical Training (CST) is currently underway. Applications for the CST programme, commencing July 2022, opened in mid-October and closed on 18 November 2021. We have received a record number of applications this year, with more prospective students applying for a career in surgery than ever before! The application process has migrated online through the RCSI application portal. Candidates are now completing the online surgical aptitudes which form part of the application process and contribute to pre-interview marks. The CST team are also carrying out eligibility and reference checks. Interviews are due to take place virtually in February 2022.  

Submissions are sought from interested candidates who wish to undertake a Doctorate of Medicine (MD) Degree through the Strategic Academic Recruitment (StAR) Programme. The StAR MD Programme supports early career physicians in advancing research qualifications while maintaining clinical practice. The programme is in collaboration with Beacon Hospital, Blackrock Clinic, Bon Secours Hospital Dublin and Hermitage Medical Clinic. The new call of the programme in 2022 will additionally collaborate with Highfield Healthcare, Mater Private Network and Sports Surgical Centre Dublin, for the first time.

The MD degree offers candidates the opportunity to strengthen translational research output while building expertise as a clinical scientist. Candidates will be based at one of the collaborating private hospitals, enhancing clinician-scientist research collaborations, while also working in a relevant RCSI laboratory or research setting.

For more information, please visit: https://www.rcsi.com/dublin/research-and-innovation/research-careers/star-programme/star-md.

Should you have any questions about the programme please contact Prof Emer Reeves, starmd@rcsi.ie

The interview is a key element in the recruitment process for both Core and Higher Specialist Training.

It is important to spend some time preparing for the interview, the more you prepare the more confident you will feel and the more likely you will be to succeed. The interview is not designed for you to fail, but rather give you the opportunity to demonstrate your skills and knowledge.

The new Surgical Curriculum was launched in August 2021. This is a significant change in how surgical training is delivered in Ireland.

Training is now outcomes-based. The end of training will be reached when supervisors agree that a trainee is performing at the level of a day-one consultant.

There is lots to learn about the new curriculum, for further information and details on how this will impact your training please see ISCP new curriculum

The RCSI and the HSE have introduced a number of initiatives to support those who choose to train flexibly for a period of time. RCSI have Job Sharing and Post Reassignment policies all of which are available on m-Surgery.

The HSE NDTP have a long established National Flexible Training Scheme.  

This is open to all Trainees who have completed the 1^st year of Core Training. The scheme provides a number of fully funded supernumerary posts to facilitate those who would like to train flexibility for a set period of time.

Funding for salaries is provided directly to employers and trainees on this scheme continue to be entitled to apply HSE Specialist Training funding scheme (HST Trainees Only) and through their employer for the HSE Clinical Course / Exam Refund Scheme. Both of these programmes are funded by NDTP Training Support Scheme

For further information see HSE / NDTP see HSE NDTP Flexible Training

Surgical Training can be expensive time in your career with the need to complete exams and undertake courses. It is important that all trainees are aware of the financial supports that are available to them. The supports include:

Clinical Course and Examination Refund Scheme NCHD Application Form,
This scheme administered by HSE NDTP is open to NCHDs. There is an approved list of clinical course and examinations qualifying for this refund scheme. Details on how to make an application for the CCERS can be found on the HSE NDTP website or by clicking on the Clinical Course Exam Refund Scheme User Guide

Specialist Training Fund

This scheme is designed to support trainees in Higher Specialist Training from ST3 to ST8. An amount of €500 is available to trainees each year and if not claimed, the amount can roll over to the following year.

For further details on the scheme, please see the guidance document. If you would like to claim a refund and submit to the RCSI, please see claim your refund

Training Support Scheme

Training Support Scheme (TSS) is open to all training and non-training NCHDs who hold the 2010 NCHD contract.

NCHDs that are on a training scheme for the full training year should have access to the full amount of their fund entitlement, respective of their grade, from the commencement of the training year. Rotating during the training year does not affect this.

The amounts available to claim are:

Core Trainees at SHO level; €1,250.00 

Higher Trainees at Specialist Registrar level; €2,000.00

Details of the  courses, conferences and exams that qualify for TSS funding are listed below:
Training Support Scheme Guidance Document 2021.

The Training Supports Scheme User Guide explains the steps required to making a Training Supports Application via the NER Portal.

The Spark Ignite 2022 competition which is run by the HSE NDTP will open for applications in February 2022.

This competition is open to all healthcare workers who have “big ideas” to improve patient and healthcare outcomes. The competition looks for staff to put forward innovative products or services and the goal of the Spark Ignite is to assist staff to advance patient care through innovation.

If you have an idea that would benefit from investment and mentorship, applications open in February 2022 and further details can be found here.

The Irish Surgical Research Collaborative (ISRC) have worked together with RCSI developers to design a new website which was launched this week. The website provides information on ongoing and upcoming studies, research events and useful research resources. A monthly blog is planned which will discuss topical research areas and provide opportunities for surgical trainees to engage and get involved.

Details of all Committee Members are provided together with a mechanism of contacting the ISRC. We look forward to engaging with you through our new website. http://isrc.ie/