Changes in the interview process for 2019/20
In 2018/19, all applicants attended a single national interview and were eligible to preference all available posts at all participating deaneries. Historically, candidates would apply for a specific deanery and could have had more than one interview in different areas. This makes it key to get it right on the day!
This change made it even more important to reflect your true capabilities at your interview. Many applicants in previous years would use one of their interviews as a 'dry run' before their first choice UoA. Clearly this was no longer be possible (and is unlikely to be possible in coming years), but with careful preparation of your portfolio and practice of interview skills, you can make sure that you perform on the day.
Improving Surgical Training (IST)
The Royal College of Surgeons is working with Health Education England (HEE) to pilot new competence-based, run through surgical training programmes in a number of surgical specialties. The pilot trials improvements in the quality of training, a better balance between service and training for trainees, and professionalisation of the role of the surgical trainers. It also seeks to develop members of the team from other professional backgrounds to work alongside surgical trainees to improve patient care.
The pilot training programme for general surgery commenced in August 2018, and the pilot will expand to include urology and vascular surgery from 2019, with plans underway to add trauma and orthopaedic surgery from 2020.
Applications for the third cohort of the pilot (starting in 2020) will open in late 2019.
Applications for both IST and traditional core surgical training (CST) posts are made through Oriel. Offers will be made on the basis of preferences and scores achieved at interview. For more information, please see https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/careers-in-surgery/trainees/ist/ist-faq/
How the pilot work?
IST will deliver run through training from ST1, with bench marking in most specialties prior to specialty training entry at ST3 in approved training centres across England, Wales and Scotland. Scotland is also offering uncoupled IST placements in different surgical specialties. Pilot trainees will work to the same curricula as non-pilot trainees, but their working environment should afford more valuable training opportunities.
Further information can be found at https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/careers-in-surgery/trainees/ist/how-to-apply/ but a summary of the most important points can be found at 'The IST Pilot - How Does It Affect me?'
This change made it even more important to reflect your true capabilities at your interview. Many applicants in previous years would use one of their interviews as a 'dry run' before their first choice UoA. Clearly this was no longer be possible (and is unlikely to be possible in coming years), but with careful preparation of your portfolio and practice of interview skills, you can make sure that you perform on the day.
Improving Surgical Training (IST)
The Royal College of Surgeons is working with Health Education England (HEE) to pilot new competence-based, run through surgical training programmes in a number of surgical specialties. The pilot trials improvements in the quality of training, a better balance between service and training for trainees, and professionalisation of the role of the surgical trainers. It also seeks to develop members of the team from other professional backgrounds to work alongside surgical trainees to improve patient care.
The pilot training programme for general surgery commenced in August 2018, and the pilot will expand to include urology and vascular surgery from 2019, with plans underway to add trauma and orthopaedic surgery from 2020.
Applications for the third cohort of the pilot (starting in 2020) will open in late 2019.
Applications for both IST and traditional core surgical training (CST) posts are made through Oriel. Offers will be made on the basis of preferences and scores achieved at interview. For more information, please see https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/careers-in-surgery/trainees/ist/ist-faq/
How the pilot work?
IST will deliver run through training from ST1, with bench marking in most specialties prior to specialty training entry at ST3 in approved training centres across England, Wales and Scotland. Scotland is also offering uncoupled IST placements in different surgical specialties. Pilot trainees will work to the same curricula as non-pilot trainees, but their working environment should afford more valuable training opportunities.
Further information can be found at https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/careers-in-surgery/trainees/ist/how-to-apply/ but a summary of the most important points can be found at 'The IST Pilot - How Does It Affect me?'