Develop Your Portfolio Neal Ormsby Ajay Sharma
Aims • ST3 • Something totally different – Radiology or A&E • Any swaps – do early – plan ahead • Don’t get hung up on Numbers! They don’t count for training after CT2 • Purpose of CT is to get ST3 in the spec. and area you want
Applications • Used to be local deanery system – Could apply to multiple deaneries – Artificially inflated competition ratio – More likely to have senior trainees applying – More focused on ‘Numbers’ and clinical experience, and deanery’s knowledge of applicant • Now – National – One application – very objective – Accurate competition ratios – A lot to achieve in 2 years! – Publications, audit and management/leadership weighted heavily – and easy objective discriminator.
What do you in T&O • 12 or more DHS – (caution – quality not quantity) • 2 or more 1 st or second name journal articles will score • 2 or more regional, national or international or presentations • Full audit cycle – at least one • Any higher research degrees- MRes/Mphil, Dphil/MD count
What do you need – T+O • Leadership – leader of group/clinical project, admin role , non-medical role • Teaching - Formal qualification in teaching, faculty of recognised course, regularly engaged in formal teaching • Also – courses such as AO, + Casting course, +Arthroscopy course (desirable) • JCST website
Audit + presentations/publications and management experience? • Don ’ t rest on laurels. Keep it ticking over • If not – there’s plenty of time if you plan it well
Identify your weaknesses now – they can be turned into strengths • What did you struggle with for your CT interviews – Any areas you felt let down your CV? – Did you worry you wouldn't get into CT training? • Why? • Develop reflective practice early on – Do your own M&M as its invaluable – you will never forget a mistake this way
AES and CS, and your SPR and even F1s – use them • Help with ideas • Show them your CV day one! - - at meeting – Better humiliated now than at interview – ST3- 4 are best as they know what ‘they’ look for – Also there are lots of consultants who interview!
Don’t Don ’ t go on a @£$% measuring contest with your fellow applicants Not constructive. • Everyone offers something different and this is very apparent at interviews – they are not won or lost on paper!! • You are selling yourself at the interview, not your colleague • It is an objective interview • Panic
Audits Identify a project in each job – now! – Go to the audit department and ask about un- completed audit cycles? - Can be very quick to complete – Tick in the box – Speak to colleagues, and collaborate • Speak to your predecessor – they may have something they haven’t finished • Speak to senior colleagues – they may have exams etc, have all the data but just need write ups etc. • Utilise the collaboratives
Advice • Don ’ t confirm the audit with the audit dept. until you have a firm audit and plan – They will hunt you for ever! • Pick something that interests you as you are more likely to follow-through • At the start have a few ideas and investigate them all, the majority wont go very far, so don ’ t put all eggs in one basket at the beginning.
Audit • Best audits will be – Completed cycles – essential – National standards – Changing practice • Improve patient safety • Save money/time – Easily re-auditable – Quick • Good audits can be the foundation for research questions with a lot of the groundwork complete
What projects to do • Ask a simple well defined question that is relevant • The simpler the question, the easier it is to answer accurately and reliably. – Doesn ’ t have to change the world – If it changes practice – that ’ s the aim – This leads to publications without much beef from reviewers – Use simple stats and analysis to get across the message
Presentations • Submit like mad to anything and everything that sounds vaguely related – You will be surprised what may be accepted – particularly abroad! – If you have posters utilise medical students! They can generally get into conferences very cheaply and everyone benefits • On the contrary – volunteer to present (podium) for your colleagues and always present your own work – Podiums contributed to but not presented don ’ t count, even if its entirely all your work!!
Presentations • However regional (Regional Audit day, North West Surgical Society Meeting (1st December, 2017) Mersey Orthopaedic Registrar’s Day + 58 society Ball / Alder Hey Alumni (Ortho) are excellent opportunities to win prizes • Lists of all conferences are available with a quick google, and on the ASIT website
Publications • Again use your seniors – they have been there done that and know what will and won’t get published – they are good reviewers • Submit to the right journal! – again seniors are invaluable with this – It ’ s a very slow process and to wait 6 months for an obvious rejection from Cell or the Lancet!, its pointless • Aim for a suitable sub-specialty journal with modest IF – paediatrics – JPOB – Trauma – Injury – Colorectal – IJCD etc. as much more likely to be accepted – or at the very least give good feedback
Management/Leadership/admin Overview • Plenty you can do • Speak with Ms Kausar, Ms Bruce or myself early – there is always a course being run that needs hands to help with • Speak with your seniors – again the same • If you are keen to teach medical students – set up something formal with your education centre – this ticks 2 boxes of leadership and teaching – they are always desperate • With Surgical Soucers. Mentorship. Molly Jakeman, James Piklington
Leadership • Quite a broad topic • Key definition – you must demonstrate the qualities of leadership in your CV – Develop new ideas and introduce them to a group – Encourage others – get the best from them – Delegation – Feedback, and improvement – Communication
Leadership • Teaching - easiest way to demonstrate this – Set up local/regional teaching – Medical students – bedside/surgical skills – F1/2 » Surgical skills » How to get a CT number » How to be an ‘….’ SHO for new F2s • Clinical – Lead an audit team, or a research project - – Clearly demonstrate how you demonstrate leadership – Sell yourself in interview – don ’ t be modest (1 occasion its acceptable!)
Management • MBChB – email them and ask to get on an interview course if you haven’t and become an admissions interviewer – Demonstrates involvement in admin and management – Also a really good way to get the inside scoop on what its like to be an interview and what you look for in candidates • MBChB – also opportunities to get involved in the medical curriculum at some level be it sub-deanery or regional • Lots of courses locally, in the deanery and further afield – Get involved with the running of them
Leadership/management – Outside the box • Utilise your reflective practice – If a mistake has happened (surgical, ward level, anything) – See if you can find a way to improve the system • Majority of errors are system failures – If you can improve this and help to implement the change to improve practice • Demonstrates – – Knowledge of limitations – Candour – Integrity – Reflective practice, ongoing development – Management – Leadership – Teaching
Reflection – management/admin outside the box • Reflected upon any mistakes I made • Kept a file with cases • It will inevitably come up • If you have one example it looks rehearsed and not professional, but if you can show a portfolio of cases and what steps you took to learn from it and to stop it happening again – this looks impressive
Can get you extra points at interview Hobbies Charity events Seats on committees Teaching Audits Research Music Courses
Specialist Societies • Know your specialty • Know training issues • Stand up for trainees • Put on good conferences
Finishing • Dress for the job you want not the job you have • Present a professional image • Make your portfolio look nice and easy to follow • Think about answers • Have a good CV
Low hanging fruits • Complete Good clinical practice training – Even if you don ’ t do an RCT it shows knowledge of research and the steps around it – and you can say you did it because you were hoping to get involved in an RCT and apply for ethical approval etc… • Medical leadership e-learning and courses – At our level a lot are free and quite quick, either online or one day courses • Use your medical education department – Any teaching you do whether ad hoc or planned – try to go through them as you can get documentation and quite often a letter of thanks from the sub- dean • If you have good ideas for postgrad/undergrad education – share it with the sub-deans – you never know what might happen • Get all courses booked ASAP – easy points and useful • Go to SpR teaching and events – get your face known – getting involved
Kolb’s Learning Cycle
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