Demonstrating commitment to specialty for the Core Surgical Training self-assessment portfolio for under £20

Sarah Choi, Daphne Chia and Ignatius Liew

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).

Daphne Chia is a Foundation Year 1 Doctor in the East of England with an interest in medical education. She is a member of the RCS Women in Surgery Forum.

Ignatius Liew is a Specialist Registrar in East of England Deanery with an interest in lower limb trauma and knee reconstruction. He serves currently as Webmaster for the British Orthopaedic Trainee Association.

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!

During 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 reflected in the new CST recruitment self-assessment 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.

BOTA

BOTA stands strong in promoting surgical training to all promising candidates irrespective of their background. The changes in the CST self-assessment should not be a barrier for potential candidates. Within the section of ‘Commitment to Speciality’, operative experience and surgical experience can be gained during medical school and foundation training without any cost. The MRCS Part A exam costs £550 and scores candidates four points for passing it. However, it is not a prerequisite for the CST applications and can be taken during CST. The authors believe that passing the MRCS Part A exam shows immense dedication to surgery and is a fantastic achievement that should be acknowledged.

This article hopes to reassure candidates and trainers that there are many courses and conferences available at a low cost or for free. We hope this article provides suggestions as well as tips and tricks to boost surgical portfolios prior to the interview, all without breaking the bank!

Disclaimers

Please note that availability of courses and conferences may have changed since publication of the article. To the best of our knowledge, prices of courses and conferences are accurate as of time of publication. Attending the suggested courses will not guarantee a CST invitation to interview and/or position through the competitive process. There are no financial disclosures to declare. Miss Sarah Choi is a member of the CST advisory committee and was involved in creating the 2022 CST selfassessment guide for CST selection. •