IST Summary from ASiT Mr. Archik Das MBChB, BMedSci (Hons), PGCert Surgery, MRCS IST Representative for ASiT Council ST1 General Surgery (IST) – King George Hospital, London Summary of the work that ASiT has been doing to monitor the progress of IST in its early stages

Contents IST – expectations of the trainee Personal experiences of IST What ASiT have done so far: meet & greet and survey findings Key trainee concerns for the future of IST Take Home Messages

IST – expectations of the trainee 1- More emphasis on training to become a surgeon Allow more time in activities beneficial for training (theatre, clinic, MDT) and a better balance between training and service 2 - Well Organised Due to multiple commitments, surgery needs to be meticulously organised 3 - Investment in the trainee Trainee needs an investment of time and effort Promoting apprenticeship model of surgery. 4 - Run-through training in the same region Provides geographical stability, confidence, security and peace of mind to the trainee More focus and emphasis on general surgery from day 1 Facilitates planning of the future: house, relationships, social life etc

Personal Experiences of IST Work in a DGH 1 in 8 on call rota 3 IST trainees, 4 staff grade doctors, 1 FY2 trainee Daily ward rounds, 1 x MDT per week Attend 5-7 theatre sessions per week (mixture of elective/emergency) 2 clinics per week (protected teaching) Highly satisfying and enjoyable job due to my supervisor (Mr Aman Bhargava) and training opportunities available

ASiT Meet and Greet Multiple regional meet and greet sessions hosted by regional ASiT Representatives to discuss IST and impact on other trainees Funded by ASiT Gathered detailed feedback from IST trainees in the early stages of their training

IST Trainee WhatsApp Group 24 members so far Discuss day to day issues/concerns/positive feedback of IST Interested in joining? Please get in touch! archik.das@nhs.net

ASiT Survey – key findings 50% 50%

5% 20% 10% 20% 5% 30% 10%

47% 53% Examples: too much time scheduled to cover the ward, heavy on call commitments, only allowed to take annual leave when scheduled for theatre

74% 10% 16%

26% 32% 21% 21%

42% 53% 5%

11% 89%

5% 95%

5% 11% 42% 21% 21%

68% 32%

42% 32% 26%

Key Concerns expressed by IST trainees ST3 Benchmarking – when/ where/how? Is it fair? How will IST adapt for higher surgical training? How to switch careers? 60% training heavily sheared by ward/on call commitments Any real change from core surgical training in previous years? “Shiny new label”? IST while highly satisfying, is not yet what is says on the tin High expectations not always being met Short of realistic, measurable and achievable goals.

Take Home Messages… IST needs good supervisors Not only about having exposure to training, but also the quality of training Uncertainty for ST3 benchmarking/absence of training number protection is causing major concern amongst trainees Important to continue monitoring the pilot and act on feedback Even if objectives are not being met, supervisors can provide an IST experience, can make CST feel like IST. Most important thing is the feel of the post