Career development and examinations: pillars of importance for the College

Since the College was established in 1505, its entire ethos has been the education, training and assessment of surgeons, from the time they are recruited into surgery to the time they retire. It’s something we’ve been doing for 500+ years but it has evolved over the centuries – and exponentially so in the past few years.
Innovations such as simulation, robotics and AI have been introduced, making it a really exciting time for both surgeons and patients. However, there are challenges, particularly in making these innovations available for everyone. Access, costs and funding all present hurdles but, regardless, for people at the start of their career it’s incredibly exciting.

As a College, we have to be able to provide the resources, training opportunities, educational courses and skills events to utilise these skills. But it’s not just about technical skills. The College is also internationally renowned for helping its Members develop non-technical skills. It’s that package of both technical and non-technical skills for surgeons, together with leadership and management development, that we want to provide for our trainees and also those further along in their careers, particularly in an era of advancing technology and training innovations.

Considering the surgical career trajectory

We have to think about how we professionally develop the knowledge and skills for more established surgeons, such as mid-career consultants, and even those towards the end of their career. Career development is important over a time frame and for each era but we must consider what parts of that are applicable at each stage of an individual’s career trajectory. What’s relevant for somebody at the end of their working life might be very different for somebody at the beginning. 

Another aspect is assessment. Assessment is important to set standards and appropriate benchmarks for progression. It’s probably more relevant for those in the early stages of their career, such as trainees and residents. The College has a significant profile for quality examinations, not just in surgery but also in dental surgery and also across our various faculties.

We take examinations seriously. The exam team has grown and over recent months we have appointed various new leads – both from the clinical side and also from the staff side – to drive that change.

A family connection

A real highlight of the past few months for me was going to the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) to be awarded an Honorary Fellowship in February. That was very special on numerous levels. It’s lovely getting awards, but it was particularly poignant and incredibly generous of the College because I was already a Fellow of RCSI by examination.

I have had connections to the Irish College from when I was a trainee. Coming through the training programme, I was supported with research funding and travelling fellowships and was also awarded a lecture and prize for my research – the Millin Lecture and Medal. RCSI played a significant part in my early career development and I have always had a significant loyalty on a personal level, but also because it was a big part of my father’s life.

My father was a Professor of Surgery based in Belfast. He was very involved in the Irish College and the Edinburgh College. He became a Member of Council at RCSI and subsequently became Vice-President and then President. For me, there are a lot of family connections between the two colleges and it was a huge honour to be invited back as a new Honorary Fellow.

Forging international links

After that memorable event in Dublin, I went on a fantastic trip to Pakistan, hosted by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan. I visited Islamabad and Lahore, and was involved in an event on surgical education and training. I met a lot of the senior officers and Council Members of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan and was involved in an international conference as a moderator and speaker in various sessions. The following week, we had a reciprocal visit from their President, immediate past-President and Head of Education to discuss collaboration and joint initiatives.

Other events

There are regular meetings of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges when all the Presidents of the Medical Royal Colleges and Faculties get together to discuss key issues. A lot of the discussion centres on education, training, career development, standards and the NHS. There was also a meeting with the General Medical Council when it visited Scotland for an education round-table event. This very much focused on the future of education in the UK.

A highlight in March was the final of the RCSEd Surgical Skills Competition, run for medical students (see pages 24-25). More than 1,300 students entered and, after various heats, a representative from each of the 43 medical schools in the UK came to the College in Edinburgh for the Grand Final. After a day of great fun, the winner was Laura Saunders from Queen’s University Belfast. 

Engaging with Fellows and Members

We had Diploma Ceremonies in February, March and April. These are always great celebratory occasions. It’s nice to welcome all our new diplomats to Membership and Fellowship of the College. 

In March, we took a team to Belfast to hold an engagement event with our Fellows and Members in Northern Ireland. It was a fabulous event with more than 100 attendees. We had a number of presentations about the College, heard what was happening in Northern Ireland with regard to training and were fed and entertained by Michelin-starred chef Paul Rankin.

We’re continuing our planning for the Triennial/ICOSET conference, which will take place on 4-6 June in Edinburgh. The programme is now finalised and we are really looking forward to attendees coming from all over the world to this conference on the theme of innovation.

Widening participation, planning for the year ahead

In March, I attended the Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons’ meeting in Edinburgh and gave a talk about leadership. After that, it was off to Hong Kong, where we go regularly each year for a range of activities, including Membership- and Fellowship-level examinations, accreditation and inspection visits and to meet up with our various partners and supporters. This involves the College of Surgeons of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong College of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Hong Kong College of Otorhinolaryngologists.

In the March edition of Surgeons’ News, we focused on how the College is promoting women in surgery with the establishment of a new women in surgery group, to be called the Hunter-Doig Group. We revealed plans to unveil a new portrait of all our previous Hunter-Doig medal winners and open a new exhibition in the College Museum on women in surgery. The fabulous painting was revealed and the exhibition was formally opened at a well-attended event on
4 April. If you are planning to be in Edinburgh, I would strongly recommend a visit to see both of these excellent exhibits showcasing truly amazing female leaders in our profession.

I made a trip to India to the second annual conference of the Association of Robotic and Innovation Surgeons in Hyderabad, and then a trip to the Royal Australian College of Surgeons’ meeting in Sydney, where I delivered the President’s lecture. It is fantastic to have these strong partnerships with international organisations, which also provide excellent opportunities to network with our Members and Fellows across the globe. Finally, in late May, we held our annual College strategy day in our Birmingham office, where we considered our strategy for the next 12 months. 
For now, I wish you all the best for the next quarter.