It's that time of year again. The Foundation Programme's winding down, the final core training sign-offs are under way and the registrar ARCPs are looming.
This means Assigned Educational Supervisors are suddenly in high demand. In Surgical specialities, these are full-time consultants with a full-time commitment to patient care in theatres, in clinics and on call. It's also the time of year when holidays feel well deserved so hopefully no-one's left it to the last minute to get their final meetings done.
Most of us have shoehorned training into our working day because we enjoy it. It's a huge buzz to see a junior colleague grab opportunities to progress and along the way teach you stuff you didn't know before. Some specialities don't get any extra time to train, others have a nominal hour a week which is timetabled (to look compliant) in "lunchtimes" (yeah, I know, heard of those)
Well things are changing. From July 2016 the GMC @gmcuk require AESs to show evidence of educational activity as part of their annual appraisal. This is not only evidence of delivering teaching (with feedback and reflection) but also supporting professional development in teaching ie update courses in topics such as 'Supporting the Trainee in Difficulty'.
This means a great deal of additional work (0.25 PAs per trainee looking even more measley now doesn't it) for our AESs and it may not be for everyone anymore. I have asked all my AESs in Surgery to review what's required of them now, and let me know if they want to stand down.
So as you wave goodbye to your placement spare a thought for our committed trainers trying hard to deliver education on top of everything else they do. Unsung heroes they are.
Last weeks of the Job
As July becomes August, it's all too easy to lose track of the current post you're in whilst planning for the next. Try and tidy up: remember what it was you wanted to know when you started and prepare such a handover for your colleague coming after you.
Induction always comes under criticism and thinking about it, it's probably that great absence of Time that's at the bottom of it. Time to get to grips with so much newness, time to absorb new rotas and weekly service plans, time to settle in - it's a luxury we don't have.
Nevertheless Induction is undergoing a revamp but it would be tremendously helpful if you put some thought into, for example, a crib sheet of contact numbers or work-ups for your firm's commonest procedures.
Surgeon of the Week
Haven't done this for a while but was so excited to see Neville Menezes in the building that I had to snap him up. 
Neville flits between us and the Royal Surrey as a hepato-biliary surgeon and is seen here with fellow Upper GI/Bariatric surgeon Shashi Irukulla
Forthcoming Attractions
Those who haven't an Educational Supervision qualification need to shake those tailfeathers & get on the RCP Educators course:
If you don't have a recognised qualification you can't supervise a trainee. This might not sound very exciting but it means you can't be on call with a trainee either. If part of a department has not engaged with the educational process that makes life extraordinarily difficult for service managers planning rosters & the week's schedules.
"Supporting the Underperforming Trainee" another thorny topic that benefits from specific training:
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