31st August

This week I'd like to start by talking a bit about the Surgical Local Faculty Group and how we work to support you and your educational needs.

If you've worked in @HE_KSS before, you'll be aware of these specialty-specific groups of Educational Supervisors who meet three times a year with trainee representatives from all grades. These Faculty Group meetings are an important forum for issues to be aired and in the Surgical Faculty Group we have listened and redesigned rotas, developed on call structures, highlighted good and less good practice - all in real time to make sure trainees have a good learning experience.

Your Core Trainee rep is Sophie Wrigley, Urology CST @sophiehfwrigley here with her #ILooklikeaSurgeon selfie from this weekend on call (looking very smiley)

The next LFG is on Wednesday October 14th. Please let all your grade reps know ahead of this date of all issues you'd like discussed. 

In the closed part of this meeting we also go through all our trainees ISCPs so please ensure your logbooks and WBAs are up to date at that point.

Hashtag of the Week: #ILooklikeaSurgeon

(Me with Trauma Fellow Verona Beckles for our #ILooklikeaSurgeon selfie)

Three weeks ago, Heather Logghe @loggheMD a general surgery resident from North Carolina started a trend that has captured the imagination of female surgeons around the world. Here's (@DrEdFitzgerald) Dr Ed Fitzgerald's take on it: http://alliesforhealth.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/what-does-ilooklikeasurgeon-really-say.html?m=1

With an immediate lack of face-to-face role models, it has been rather inspiring to see the sorority of surgeons let each other know they're there. 

I did a quick scout of the Consultant Directory @ASPHFT and totted up 8 female consultant surgeons, 11% of the total number of Consultant surgeons on staff. 

You might think that's a bit feeble, especially when some sub-specialities have zero female representation (Vascular, Urology, Colorectal, Upper GI) but in fact that's pretty much the same percentage as the average numbers of women in Surgical Consultant posts across England &Wales. 

Can we continue like this? I can't believe I'm actually referencing the Daily Mail (?!) but @maxpemberton made a rather punchy point on Saturday: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3214852/Women-doctors-bring-NHS-knees-says-Dr-Max.html

Here's the RCPCH (@RCPCHtweets) source paper: http://www.rcpch.ac.uk/improving-child-health/better-nhs-children/workforce-planning/rota-compliance-and-vacancies/rota-com

If we can't make our specialities attractive to the majority workforce (women make up at least 55% of medical graduates) it is going to be challenging trying to maintain those unappealing services. It's not just a question of raising a media profile by putting up family-friendly role models, but making tangible, practical and quite radical changes to junior doctor training & consultant practice. 

I'd like to hear from you if you've considered even briefly pursuing a hospital based career (clearly the issue is not just with Surgery) and what made the 'cons' outweigh the 'pros', what factors have led to the career choices you've made or intend to pursue.

Surgeon of the Week

This week my top trainer is Prateesh Trivedi, Colorectal Surgeon, seen here with Sr Chris Tough. (I am so loving how my fabulous colleagues are embracing the ASPHug)

Teesh has links with the Royal Holloway co-ordinating pelvic floor research and supervises the training & development of our ward Clinical Scientist in addition to training our Core and Higher Surgical Trainees. It has been great to have his support & involvement at a Surgical LFG which with our many recent appointments is growing from strength to strength.

Forthcoming Attractions

Basic Surgical Skills is pretty much an essential course for Core Surgical Training applications, due in November. Not only is it a practical and helpful course to have at F2, for surgery and for A&E, but it also shows 'commitment to specialty' AND earns you one of the easier points on the checklist (max of 3 points in the Courses box)

Here are the local courses that still have places and will get you the point ahead of the closing date for CST applications:

***BREAKING NEWS***

Congratulations to former @ASPHFT T&O trainee Ritesh Sharma on getting his Consultant post at Epsom & St Helier @epsom_sthelier (WOO!!)

Ritesh was with us for two separate years in his training and I am so pleased for him, Cindy, and Simran, Sachin and Kiran that he has passed the final hurdle.