UKFPO Bulletin: 22 September 2021
The climate emergency has been an increasing part of the news recently and I was at a meeting last week where sustainable healthcare was discussed. I thought I would share in this week’s bulletin some of what I learned.
In particular I was struck by a reminder that the carbon footprint from our healthcare services is huge (and with the recent massive increase in PPE use may recently have got even larger). The NHS has recently published ‘Delivering a ‘Net Zero’ NHS’ which sets out a plan to reach this level by 2040. There are a number of strands including the requirement for NHS organisations to have a ‘board level Net Zero lead’. https://www.england.nhs.uk/greenernhs/a-net-zero-nhs/
(I know this says ‘England’ but the principles of sustainability apply to all of us so please bear with me).
These principles are on quite grand scale and may feel beyond the scope of the jobbing Foundation doctor or their supervisors. However, this is something we can and should all get involved in whether it is by using more sustainable types of prescribing or thinking about the environmental consequences of our day to day work. For those who want to gain more understanding of this area there is an eLfH module which is a start. https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/environmentally-sustainable-healthcare/
For those that are wondering why this might all be relevant to the UKFPO bulletin, I can assure you it all fits within the Foundation curriculum 2021, whether we are considering FPC4 and the benefits for the patient in front of us or the healthcare system overall in FPC8. It also comes into FPC9 – Quality Improvement – and some of you will know that the RCP includes sustainability as one of the domains of QI. https://www.rcpjournals.org/content/futurehosp/5/2/88
When thinking about how we can improve our healthcare services, thinking about how we can make them more sustainable is a very good start.
For those that want to take it further, the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare (https://sustainablehealthcare.org.uk) offers courses, including one on sustainability in QI.
Tony Choules, Operational Advisor to the UKFPO
Reminder: UKFPO F1 trainee induction survey
New F1 doctors, please complete the UKFPO F1 trainee induction survey, which is open until the end of September 2021. This is part of a long term project to identify any concerns/anxieties you may have about starting your F1 post. The information you provide will help to develop a realistic evaluation of the induction programme and help us to improve working life for future trainees. It should only take you approximately 10 minutes to complete. The survey is anonymous and your thoughts and comments are greatly appreciated. See further information in this invitation letter.
Events, Information and Opportunities from External Partners
Clinical Academic Training Posts for FY Trainees – NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow posts 2022
Would you like to find out more about the ACF programme? Interested in pursuing an academic career? Then join our free Webinars to find out more about ACF opportunities available in the West Midlands.
The sessions will be hosted by:
Dr Lukas Foggensteiner, Associate Dean for Academic Programmes, HEE West Midlands/ Consultant Nephrologist
Dr David Nicholl, TPD for Academic Medicine, HEE West Midlands/Consultant Neurologist
Charlotte Maybury, Clinical Academic Training Programme Manager, University of Birmingham
The sessions will take place as follows:
Thursday 30 September at 1pm with Dr David Nicholl and Charlotte Maybury, plus current and previous ACFs, click HERE to join.
Applications for the ACF programme open on Monday 4 October and close on Monday 1 November 2021. Details of the posts available and the application process will be available on the NIHR webpage soon, so now is an excellent time to find out more information about the programme.
New Clinical Academic Careers website – trainee feedback appreciated
Medical Schools Council (MSC) and the Clinical Academic Training Forum (CATF) have launched a new website that aims to communicate the value of a career in clinical academia and provide information on how health professionals at various stages of training can become clinical academics.
The website is called the Clinical Academic Training and Careers Hub (CATCH) and provides useful information for current and aspiring clinical academic trainees. The advice on CATCH explores opportunities across professions including medicine, dentistry, nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals.
CATCH aims to:
- showcase and promote the wide variety of exciting career options in clinical academia across a range of healthcare disciplines
- provide practical advice on clinical academic career options across all four nations of the UK
- highlight inspiring clinical academics at a variety of career stages to help build aspirations
- build links between clinical practice and academia.
CATCH is due to launch in October, but we would first like to gather feedback from current trainees to hear what they think of the site and the information it contains. We have published a short survey asking trainees what they think of the site, and how it can be improved in future.
Genito-urinary medicine recruitment – Monday 4 October 2021, 09:00-16:30, virtual
Are you interested in a career in Genitourinary Medicine?
Please join Health Education England virtually for a day of talks aimed to give an overview of the specialty. (Please note this is not a training day)
- Learn about what the specialty involves
- Understand training requirements, the curriculum and how it is delivered
- Find out about research opportunities and out of programme experiences
- Explore a day in the life of GUM SPRs
- Receive an overview of common sexual health and HIV scenarios
Registration and admission is free. Please click here for more information.
The Paediatric Foundation Conference – hosted by The Paediatric Foundation Conference Team
Are you interested in Paediatrics? Wanting to learn more about what a career in Paediatrics looks like from Paediatricians across different specialties? Thinking of applying to training and want top tips on your application and exams? Then look no further! The Paediatric Foundation Conference is set to be the first national paediatric conference aimed at and organised by foundation doctors.
The conference will be taking place on Saturday 25 September – it is a virtual event, jam-packed full of informative sessions all delivered by some incredible Paediatricians. The day will start at 8:30am – the morning sessions will be based around a general career in Paediatrics, advice on applications (including applying to competitive deaneries) and exam and interview advice; all delivered by current Paediatric trainees. There will also be sessions on advice for post-foundation/pre-specialty doctors, working less than full time and work/life balance in Paediatrics. The afternoon will be split into smaller sessions based on sub-specialties within Paediatrics and you are free to choose to attend depending on your interests – workshops include:
- Respiratory – led by Prof. Andrew Bush
- Gastroenterology – led by Dr Astor Rodrigues
- Endocrine – led by Dr Nadia Muhi-Iddin
- Cardiology – led by Dr Nicola Boyd
- Infectious diseases – led by Dr Aubrey Cunnington
- Neonatology – led by Dr Steve Jones
- PICU – led by Dr Khurram Mustafa
- PEM – led by Dr Damian Roland
- Community Paediatrics – led by Dr Fiona Blyth
The day is set to be full of fantastic and informative talks which will hopefully enthuse you all to pursue a career in Paediatrics!
The event is free to attend, just sign up using the following link – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-paediatric-foundation-conference-tickets-167344073629
Twitter: @thepaedsfyconf
FB: The Paediatric Foundation Conference 2021- https://www.facebook.com/The-Paediatric-Foundation-Conference-2021-100633955675378/?ref=page_internal
Geriatrics for Juniors Virtual Conference – Saturday 13 November 2021, hosted by AEME (Association for Elderly Medicine Education)
G4J is a one-day online conference, designed for Foundation Doctors, Core Medical and GP Trainees, and Specialist Nurse Practitioners. It aims to deliver relevant and useful clinical updates in all the main sub-specialties of Geriatric Medicine, in order to improve the standard of care for older patients.
Whether you are a budding Geriatrician, already work in the field, or have other career aspirations but just want to improve your clinical knowledge and skills related to older patients, G4J has something to offer you!
What the day will include:
-A full day of relevant and interesting educational sessions related to Geriatric Medicine
-Practical and useful updates for your day-to-day practice on the hospital medical wards
-A certificate of attendance for your e-portfolio
-Opportunity to submit a poster
The link for further information and to register can be found here: http://aeme.org.uk/g4j21/
AEME (Association for Elderly Medicine Education)
A to Z Virtual Head & Neck Conference November 2021 – hosted by the A to Z in Head and Neck Surgery Committee
A to Z is a new surgical committee composed of a collection of ENT and OMFS SHOs across the country. We will be hosting a virtual ENT/Oral MaxFax conference later this winter on the weekend of 27/28 November 2021 (see poster attached).
Abstract applications are now open via our website https://www.atozinent.co.uk/winterconferenceabstracts
We are accepting abstracts from all training grade doctors from any country on all topics relating to head and neck surgery (both ENT and OMFS). (including case reports/QIPS/audits/research)
The top 10 abstracts will be selected for oral presentation during the conference and judged by a panel of ENT & OMFS Consultants, with prizes being offered to the best presentations.
Abstracts not accepted for oral presentation will be offered the opportunity for poster presentation with posters being displayed via the website.
There will also be talks from a host of ENT/OMFS Consultants over the weekend.
This is the second conference we will be hosting, having already held a successful conference earlier this summer with approximately 40 submissions from various countries and institutions. A more in-depth summary of this conference is available via the website.
In addition to the conference frequent teaching videos on common ENT topics are being added to the website.
Opportunities for Supervisors
Health Education England (HEE) has developed a new resource for clinical and educational supervisors of foundation doctors.
Many individuals are involved in the development of a foundation doctor, including educational and clinical supervisors who play a key role in terms of guidance and support. It is important to ensure that they are trained to identify and meet the needs of those going through this level of medical training.
Training for the foundation supervisor supports the professional development of educators and includes video-based practical modules on topics such as supervision, feedback, workplace based assessments, dealing with doctors in difficulty and Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP).
Sessions may also be relevant to supervisors of specialty and GP trainees.
HEE has worked with elearning for healthcare (elfh) to review and update existing supervisor modules and create a new learning pathway which is available on the elfh Hub.
These sessions are available to anyone with access the eLfH.