Intercollegiate Surgical Education Committee for SAS, LED and Non-Consultant Hospital Doctors

The British Orthopaedic Association (BOA) is the Surgical Specialty Association for Trauma and Orthopaedics in the UK. Our mission is ‘Caring for Patients, Supporting Surgeons’ working with our members to deliver excellence in surgical care and restore pain-free mobility. Our vision is a vibrant, sustainable, representative orthopaedic community delivering high-quality, effective care to fully informed patients.

We have over 5,000 members worldwide, the majority based in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Membership is made up of consultants (active or retired), staff and associate specialist grades (SAS), surgeons in training, medical students and allied health professionals. Our activities include influencing and engagement, professional practice, research and training and education.

Staff Grade, Associate Specialist, Specialty (SAS) Doctors are a diverse group with a wide range of knowledge, surgical skills and experience which are fundamental to the successful delivery of T&O services in the UK.

The BOA believes that meeting the professional development needs of our SAS colleagues is essential at both an organisational and individual level. Sustaining good quality services for NHS patients requires all surgeons to remain up to date with advances in trauma and orthopaedic surgery and this is as relevant for SAS as those in training or at the consultant level.

We recognise Specialty & Associate Specialist (SAS) surgeons or Locally-Employed Doctors (LEDs) will have distinct needs for career and educational support specific to their situation.

We are building a resource to assist with SAS career development and will be developing and adding T&O specific resources to these pages on a regular basis found here.

BOA Education and Training events can be accessed here.

From the learning and events page, SAS doctors can also access information on fellowship opportunities and the Annual Congress which features an SAS session.

A specific professional development course for SAS doctors is being created, and more info can be found here.

For opportunities to get involved with the BOA through Committee positions (all committees have an SAS rep appointed through open recruitment) please visit us here.

The VSGBI Council is committed to providing a supportive environment for SAS doctors within Vascular Surgery.

We have two co-opted SAS representatives on the VSGBI Council which provides a voice for SAS doctors within the Society as well as enabling us to understand specific requirements unique to our SAS doctors. These representatives also sit on both our Workforce and Education subcommittees.

We have attempted to identify all SAS doctors currently working within Vascular Surgery within Great Britain and Ireland, allowing us to identify needs on a breadth of topics including local training, education needs and career plans. This data will be key to enabling us to deliver a comprehensive package of education, training and career advice to all SAS trainees (Data presented at a dedicated SAS symposium at the VSGBI annual society meeting, Brighton, November 2022).

There are currently a number of education and training resources available to SAS trainees:

The ASPIRE digital programme is a set of curriculum-based webinars that have run from the onset of COVID. They are all still accessible on the education part of the VSGBI website.

1. The VSGBI runs a webinar focused on CESR for vascular surgery – this will be run annually.
2. The VSGBI has a well-developed education package for our trainees who hold a national training number.

This has been developed over a number of years since vascular surgery became a subspecialty in its own right.

Our intention is to develop a similar programme for our SAS trainees that will deliver bespoke training needs with a focus on:

1. Exam preparation
2. Cadaveric base course
3. Endovascular simulation

The Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery is the only professional society for healthcare professionals involved and interested in cardiothoracic surgery in Great Britain & Ireland.

SCTS aim is to advance science in cardiothoracic surgery for the benefit of the public by encouraging and promoting excellence in the practice of cardiothoracic surgery. It also promotes innovation, research and education of both patients and professionals in cardiothoracic surgery field. This results in improving quality of care provided to the patients and increasing skills and knowledge of doctors and nurses.

SCTS represents Great Britain & Ireland in cardiothoracic surgery at a national and international level. For more details, please visit SCTS.

Membership Benefits for SAS Doctors

There are many benefits to being a member of the SCTS. The following are examples of them:

- Attractive membership attendance fee at the SCTS Annual Meeting, which includes a full scientific and social programme.
- Competitive fee at the SCTS-Ionescu University, which includes a contemporary educational programme with an international faculty.
- Reduced attendance fee at the SCTS Annual Meeting Cardiothoracic Forum.
- Access to a wide variety of cardiothoracic surgical training courses - both clinical and generic professional skills.
- Access to financial scholarships to develop clinical practice, leadership & management skills or service improvement Trust Appointed Doctors.
- Access to the Society’s website, which provides a useful source of relevant information for cardiothoracic surgical practitioners, revalidation, team working, good surgical practice, national selection, applying for a fellowship, cardiothoracic surgery curriculum and applying for research funding.
- Receipt of the SCTS Bulletin, which is published twice a year and contains news stories about the important developments in the cardiothoracic community in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In addition, SCTS members are offered a reduced subscription to the Journal for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (JTCVS).
- Access to national cardiac, thoracic and congenital surgical outcomes.

Find more details about membership benefits here.

Education and Training

SCTS provides many training opportunities for SAS doctors. This includes online resources, wet labs and courses. Moreover, sponsored fellowships in the UK and overseas are also available for SAS doctors. For more details please visit SCTS here.

CESR guidance

SCTS provide guidance to cardiothoracic surgeons who are planning to apply for CESR. This is via courses and direct mentorship.

Mentorship programme

SCTS mentorship is now available for SAS doctors. Mentorship provides clear guidance for SAS doctors during their career in the UK.

Fellowships

Many fellowships are open to SAS doctors. For available fellowships, learn more here.

The British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) is the Surgical Specialty Association for Urology in the UK. Our vision is all those involved in urology are supported to deliver excellent care and our mission is to promote the highest standard in the practice of urology for the benefit of patients by fostering education, research and clinical excellence.

BAUS has more than 2,300 members worldwide which are made up of Consultants (working and retired), Speciality & Associate (SAS) Doctors, International Colleagues, Trainees and Allied Professionals. SAS colleagues may choose to join as a Member: Trainee if they are working towards becoming a Consultant or as a Member: Urological Specialist if they are settled in their role.

We have a dedicated section on our website for our SAS Doctors which provides information and resources tailored specifically for these colleagues.

Member benefits for our SAS doctors are as follows:
• Full Access to the BAUS website
• Access to electronic BJUI & JCU
• Access to BJUI Knowledge
• Discount for BAUS Events
• Free access to BAUS webinars
• Mailings from BAUS
• Voting rights in BAUS Elections
• BSoT Membership (for Member: Trainee only)

Applications for membership are via our website.

ENT UK is the professional membership body representing ear, nose and throat surgery and head, neck and thyroid surgery in the UK. We support members at every stage of their careers – a total of more than 2,300 ENT healthcare professionals and medical practitioners.

ENT UK provides:

• specialty-specific guidance in special situations such as the recent global COVID pandemic. This helps ensure changes to practice are uniform throughout the four UK nations.
• Best practice guidelines in ENT and Head and Neck surgery in the UK.
• A website providing access to patient information leaflets on standard ENT surgery.
• Early bird offers for national conferences and workshops.
• Access to subspecialty training Scholarships and research projects.
• Online resources and links for SAS education and training; guidance for CESR application and mentorship programs are also available to support doctors in non-training roles, who provide patient services in the UK.

The Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (ASGBI) is the statutory organisation representing general surgeons in UK and Ireland. The Association was established in 1920 and has a long history of providing information, advice, opportunities for further education and networking for its members. It provides leadership in general and emergency surgery and collates sub-specialist knowledge from 12 sister organisations that comprise modern general surgery.

At ASGBI we recognise the value of SAS surgeons, they constitute about 20-30% of the medical workforce and play a pivotal role in the surgical team, in delivering clinical care and in other wider educational and leadership roles. We recognise SAS as a viable and alternate career path and believe in parity of esteem for those choosing this route for career progression. We have an SAS representative at the ASGBI Council, who provides valuable insight into the issues and priorities for SAS surgeons.

The ASGBI offers a wide range of benefits to its SAS membership. Some of the key benefits are:

• Reduced fee for ASGBI Congress and meetings/courses
• Access to ASGBI publications
• Access to ASGBI e-learning resources
• Free CME/CPD accreditation for courses organised by members
• Optional subscription to the British Journal of Surgery (BJS)
• Priority access to selected BJS workshops
• ASGBI fellowships are open to SAS doctors
• Dedicated webinar/symposium for SAS doctors in the ASGBI Congress
• CESR webinar
• Eligible to take office within relevant ASGBI sections and committees
• Eligible for regional representative roles
• Eligible to apply for ASGBI’s mentorship programme
• Membership of ASGBI’s trainee arm, the Moynihan Academy, which particularly focuses on the education and training in the field of Emergency General Surgery

We at the ASGBI understand that equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are very important as we strive for excellence. Based on our EDI survey, we have made several changes to the electoral process. Therefore, SAS members have a wide range of opportunities for leadership roles within the ASGBI.

The ASGBI will ensure equality is at the core of future work that is carried out, and we look forward to the positive impact it will have on education, research, and clinical excellence.

The British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons is the voice of plastic surgery in the UK, advancing education in all aspects of the specialty and promoting understanding of contemporary practice.

BAPRAS speaks for the majority of reconstructive and aesthetic plastic surgeons providing services to patients in the UK today. 82% of NHS Consultants in 2021 are members of the Association.

The objectives of the Association remain of relieving sickness and protecting and preserving public health through the promotion and development of plastic surgery. The aim of the Association is to advance education in all aspects of plastic surgery. Techniques and expertise have progressed to the extent that plastic surgery needs to be understood in a modern, wider context.

Our mission is to promote the best evidence-based practice in plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery in order to achieve the highest standard of patient care through professional support in education, research and the development of knowledge.

We have over 1,300 members. The membership of the Association comprises plastic surgeons, plastic surgeons in training and those aspiring to undertake a career in plastic surgery, allied health professionals working in plastic surgery-related roles plus a small number of surgeons and scientists from allied disciplines.
BAPRAS is pleased to involve our SAS doctor colleagues with representation on our Education Committee, discounted member rates for meetings and courses, and plans to roll out our mentoring programme to those in this group.

We continue to fund a workforce planning project to determine NHS requirements for consultant plastic surgeons in the future.

In pursuit of its educative and promotional objectives, BAPRAS runs a range of activities - largely for plastic surgeon members, but also with the aim of raising awareness amongst wider healthcare professionals. We hold an annual congress and run training courses. Details of these can be found here. We further the education of plastic surgeons at all stages of their careers via our e-learning platform, e-LPRAS
BAPRAS provides awards, scholarships and research grants.

The Journal of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (JPRAS) is owned by the Association and continues to be published in conjunction with Elsevier Science, and edited by Professor A Hart. The Journal holds an Impact Factor of 3.022.

The UK National Flap Registry continued successfully to collect data on all major free and pedicled flap operations carried out in the UK and through that, to assess the quality of care we provide for patients. Work on a supplementary registry for Mohs surgery has started.

BAPRAS has been investigating ways to better support our members and is in the process of setting up a mentoring scheme. Initially, this will aim to match consultants in their first few years of practice with a more senior surgeon.

The BOA believes that meeting the professional development needs of our SAS colleagues is essential at both an organisational and individual level. Sustaining good quality services for NHS patients requires all surgeons to remain up to date with advances in trauma and orthopaedic surgery and this is as relevant for SAS as those in training or at the consultant level.

For opportunities to get involved with the BAPRAS through Committee positions please contact the Secretariat.

The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons is a charity and registered company with a commitment to promoting the advancement of education research and the development of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Oral Surgery.

For the full history of the Association please visit this page on our site.

BAOMS aims are:

1. Encouraging and assisting postgraduate education study and research in the speciality.
2. Arranging regular meetings, conferences, seminars, and events: such as BAOMS Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM)
3. Encouraging the publication of articles in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Oral Surgery either by publishing a special journal or in the BJOMS journal.
4. Ensuring that the speciality is represented, by both the Medical and Dental professionals.
5. Supporting members with scholarships and grants for educational training or clinical research.
6. Encouraging best practice, special achievements, and contributions to the profession with awards, prizes, and recognition.

BAOMS is committed to providing a supportive environment for SAS doctors within Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. We have two voting SAS/Associate Fellow representatives on the BAOMS Council providing invaluable input for SAS doctors within the Association as well as enabling us to understand specific requirements unique to our SAS doctors. There are also regular sessions for Associate Fellows/SAS doctors at the Annual Scientific Meetings who are also welcome to attend all BAOMS conference sessions.

In addition, BAOMS, is committed to supporting all our OMFS colleagues as members, who have the strength of diversity, variety of skills, clinical and non-clinical excellence, and attributes. BAOMS has many supportive specialised interest groups including information about women in OMFS. In addition, BAOMS also supports Diversity, Inclusion and Equity and has a statement and tools on the website.
BAOMS aims to identify and welcome all SAS doctors currently working within the specialty and there is a category of membership, Associate Fellows, which SAS OMFS doctors are welcome and encouraged to join. Please see the benefits of BAOMS membership.

Other useful resources for BAOMS members/ Associate Fellows include:

Flex Facs masterclasses are available to all BAOMS members (via the members’ area). This online educational resource provides regular interactive live webinars and recorded videos. Please note that you need to be a BAOMS member/ Associate Fellow member to access the Flex Facs online resources.

In addition, all OMFS SAS doctors are also encouraged to complete the National BAOMS workforce census.

BAOMS Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) and is available to all members in UK and abroad.

Educational resources are available on the BAOMS website (for all / open to access) please visit the BAOMS website.

Associate Fellows area of the BAOMS website which includes a discussion forum for members.

Please consider joining BAOMS as an Associate Fellow.

The purpose of the Society is the study and advancement of Neurosurgery. This is achieved through the scientific meetings of the Society, through publications arising from deliberations about aspects of Neurosurgical practice and delivery of Neurosurgical services, through fostering professional relationships amongst neurosurgeons and through engagement with the public and bodies involved in the provision of care to patients requiring Neurosurgery.

The Society promotes safe and effective Neurosurgical treatment for patients throughout Great Britain and Ireland. The Society has developed and maintains the National Neurosurgical Audit Programme (NNAP), which produces outcome data for all neurosurgical in patients in England. It is also fully engaged with the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) project, aiming to improve patient care while reducing costs in all specialties.

High standards of professional practice are promoted through the Society's involvement in the education and the examination of Neurosurgeons and through its scientific meetings and associated activities in the continuing professional development of Neurosurgeons.

Abstracts of papers presented to Society meetings, and other aspects of formal Society business are published on the SBSN website and in the Society's official journal, the British Journal of Neurosurgery.