Trainees' Forum
JCST, GMC, HEE and SACs: how this alphabet soup translates into a seven-year urology training programme
As many trainees will know, and I count myself among them, there are a plethora of organisations involved in our training. Most of us will be familiar with our deaneries, the haven we return to once a month for our...
Initial impressions of urology in the UK from overseas trainees
Readers of Urology News will be familiar with descriptions of overseas visits by UK-based urological trainees, but it is sometimes beneficial to reflect on the experience of international medical graduates (IMGs) who elect to come to work and train in...
Students for Urology: a new national society aimed at improving undergraduate exposure
As medical students, we were surprised at just how little urological content was taught at medical school. We received a basic education on how to manage urological infections, renal stones and urinary retention but nothing particularly inspiring was shared, nothing...
Burnout in surgery
When I was pregnant with my first child, I went to a talk on how to achieve work-life balance and avoid burnout. It was given by a highly respected Australian surgeon and I was eager to hear the secrets that...
SMILE: sustaining medical education in a lockdown environment
2020 posed challenges to medical education like never seen before. In an effort to contain and slow the spread of coronavirus all UK medical schools ceased or reduced face-to-face contact. This sudden, and for many, unexpected change resulted in pressures...
Mentorship and its role in surgical training
Is there a principle which could help address multiple challenges in surgical training? One which has potential to improve recruitment and retention of staff to our specialty, quality of patient care and surgeon morale? The author discusses the past present...
How to organise a urology taster week as a foundation trainee
Current exposure to urology in medical undergraduate curriculums is relatively sparse in comparison to the other surgical specialties with one study reporting just 42% of students having a compulsory attachment. These attachments were an average length of just one week...
#DontPayToStay Campaign – how one urology trainee led a successful campaign to eliminate charges for non-resident on call accommodation across England
The 2016 terms and conditions of service (junior doctor contract) introduced the following clause: 11. Where a doctor is rostered to work on a non-resident on-call working pattern and the doctor elects voluntarily, subject to the availability of accommodation, to...
The value of Urolink: an OOPE experience
I was fortunate enough to be able to take some time out of my training after ST5 to pursue an Out Of Programme Experience (OOPE) year. During the Urolink meeting at the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) 2017 conference...
TUF Warriors – joining the fundraising fight
What is the TUF Warrior programme? The Urology Foundation (TUF) Warrior programme is designed to support core trainees, clinical fellows and foundation doctors interested in urology. It creates opportunities to develop extracurricular interests, connect with patients, boost applications for specialty...
Bouncing Back: support, mentorship and advice for those unsuccessful in urology ST3 national selection
The 2018 BAUS Annual Scientific Meeting in Liverpool delivered the first session for applicants unsuccessful in urology ST3 national selection. The session was organised and run by Luke Forster, Core Training Liaison Representative, along with several trainees. Background The concept...
Quality Improvement – how to get involved?
The General Medical Council (GMC) requires all trainee doctors to carry out Quality Improvement (QI) as part of our annual appraisal process [1]. Exactly what QI projects are and how to get involved is less widely understood. Traditionally surgical trainees...
