Trainee
Demonstrating commitment to specialty for the Core Surgical Training self-assessment portfolio for under £20 Sarah Choi, Daphne Chia and Ignatius Liew
Clare is an enthusiastic, imaginary Foundation Year 2 doctor applying for Core Surgical Training (CST). As the CST application process is highly competitive, she knew she had to maximise her portfolio points to secure an interview. To her delight, she found that she scored full points on the courses and conferences section (7 out of 7 points), for under £20!
D Sarah Choi is a Core Surgical Trainee in South Wales and is a BOTA Junior Representative. She is also a trainee representative for the CST advisory committee (CSTAC).
uring medical school, Clare was inspired by her elective in orthopaedics and signed up for a British Orthopaedic Association (BOA) membership (£17/year). This allowed her to join the British Orthopaedic Trainee Association (BOTA) for free. She attended the BOTA congress, BOA Annual Congress and the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) Future Surgery Show all for free, achieving 3 out of 3 points for conferences. While attending the BOTA Congress, she also attended the Medical Student Course (free, £10 deposit refunded on attendance). In her foundation training, she attended three other courses for free: The National Catheter Course, RCS Systemic Training in Acute Illness Recognition Course (free with the RCS promotion as of January 2022) and the Rouleaux Club: So you want to be a vascular surgeon, maximising 4 out of 4 points for courses. All Clare had paid for was her BOA membership as a medical student (£17)! Surgery is a competitive field to enter, requiring a robust portfolio to be considered for a Core Surgical Training (CST) interview. The candidate needs to show dedication and commitment to surgery in their portfolio to be shortlisted for interviews, and further showcase their dedication and competencies during the interview process. This requirement for dedicated, surgically driven candidates, is
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reflected in the new CST recruitment selfassessment guide. The 2022 portfolio criteria introduced changes in the distribution of points and weighting of sections, especially in the ‘commitment to speciality’ section. Up to 7 points are awarded for attending surgical courses and conferences; 4 for courses and 3 for surgical conferences. This might at first seem like an expensive way to show commitment, however we would like to stress that there are several surgical courses and conferences that can be attended for free or for under £100. We have gathered this information from first-hand experience and information shared by fellow junior doctors.
Courses and conferences Listed in Tables 1 and 2 are surgical courses and conferences for Medical Students and Foundation Doctors for under £150. There are various Royal College of Surgeons or CPD approved events run regionally, which are often free or a low cost to attend. The best time to start gathering evidence of commitment is whilst a medical student. This is when courses and conferences are the cheapest or even free. However, there are also many options available for Foundation Year Doctors. Courses or conferences need to be accredited with one of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons, an international or national surgical organisation or regional deanery. Alternatively, courses require accreditation with CPD points to be accepted. >>
