New Intercollegiate Committee Launches Website to Support SAS and Related Grades
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The newly formed Intercollegiate Surgical Education Committee for SAS, LED, and Non-Consultant Hospital Doctors (ISECSN) has launched a website to support the educational development of SAS Grades and those in related grades. The committee, composed of representatives from across the Royal Surgical Colleges, Surgical Speciality Associations and existing Intercollegiate Committees, aims to bring together experience, assess needs, and support the development of educational provision specifically required for this group.
The ISECSN website will provide key information, resources, and various access to support, helping those in SAS grade posts to enhance their skills and progress in their career. The website launch took place by webinar, which highlighted the importance of supporting career progression for SAS and related grades.
Recent changes in the evidence required for the CESR process, the new FRCS examination criteria, and the introduction of a new Senior SAS role, the Specialist Grade, are all areas for development that the new committee can address. The committee will provide a liaison group for the SAS community, bringing together experience and assessing needs to support the development of educational provision specifically required for this group of doctors.
Improved communication and relationships between the new committee and the Joint Committee on Surgical Training (JCST) will provide a broader less piecemeal approach. All Colleges and Specialty Surgical Associations (SSAs) will provide input, and there should be ongoing discussions as relationships build up.
Many of the SSAs already provide significant support with the CESR process, and by sharing their ideas and experience, SSAs can develop further in this area. Mentorship training can be provided for SAS at a College level, and more specific mentorship within specialties or for CESR application is available from some SSAs, possibly more in future.
Although issues such as funding for education and training, recognition and employment terms and conditions are outside the responsibility of Colleges, the Colleges can have influence in these areas. The ISECSN aims to provide a unified voice for SAS and related grades and advocate for support and progress in these important areas.
To mark the launch of the ISECSN and its website, the Chair of the committee, Professor Mike Griffin, Immediate Past President of RCSEd, commented:
SAS doctors play a hugely important role in delivering healthcare services, and their contribution to patient care is invaluable to the NHS. However, we know that there are significant challenges facing SAS and related grades, particularly in terms of career progression and access to educational resources. That is why we formed the ISECSN - to provide a unified voice for SAS and related grades and to advocate for support and progress in these important areas.
The launch of this website is an important step towards achieving our goals. It will provide a central hub for information, resources, and support for SAS doctors, helping them to enhance their skills and progress in their careers. We hope that this website will become an essential tool for SAS doctors and related grades, and we look forward to continuing our work to support their educational development and career progression.
Visit the new website here at: www.ISECSN.org
