Teaching and Learning

Regional training days

Trainees will be expected to attend a set number of regional training days throughout the training year in addition to local teaching at their trust.  For HEE KSS trainees are expected to attend a minimum of four in order to achieve a successful outcome at their ACRP.

Regional training days should be booked through the School of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and can be found on the KSS events calendar webpage. To attend a regional training day, you should book study leave with your trust according to their notice period.  If trainees are unable to attend, the school must be given a valid reason for non-attendance. This may include:

• the Trust being unable to release a trainee from service (if this recurs, contact should be made with the school)
• pre-booked leave (although trainees shouldn’t make a habit of this)
• illness/bereavement/special leave
• exams
• working nights

Trainees’ attendance or non-attendance at each event will be noted and made available to the ARCP panel. The reasons above will be taken into account by the panel, providing they are valid.

Note – trainees must book their place before attending. Trainees who do not book a place may be turned away due to capacity.

Trainees who have booked, but can no longer attend, should aim to give their school at least 48 hours’ notice so that another trainee can attend in their place. Trainees who do not attend and fail to give a valid reason beforehand may be reported to their Training Programme Director (TPDs).

Study leave

From 2018, the study leave budget has no longer been assigned as an annual allowance for each doctor. This followed negotiation between trainee representatives, the BMA and HEE. The trainee representatives argued that this was too inflexible and did not take account of variation across years of training, and across specialities.

To simplify management, and allow local decisions, the centralised process defines three levels of course or event. Two are agreed locally: courses that are mandated for delivering the curriculum, and courses that are recommended to assist in achieving this. These should be discussed with Educational Supervisors or TPDs to advise and support the application. 

The table of mandatory courses is shown below:

The third category is designated as aspirational, requiring approval by the Head of School after forwarding by the Trust to the Deanery. Below is a flow diagram regarding the application process:

Doctors are entitled up to a maximum of 30 study days in a year; this is calculated from the date of commencement of appointment or rotation. Leave to sit necessary examinations is allowable but does not count against study leave. The study leave budget does not support exam fees, nor the costs of travel and accommodation for exams. Trust mandatory training should have been completed before applying for Study Leave, and an agreed personal development plan must be in place.

The centralised budgetary arrangements, and the lists of mandated and recommended courses and events remain under review, and it is not yet clear whether the total amount will continue to meet all requests. One impetus to the new system was that nationally and across specialties the total was underspent when defined as an allocation assigned as an individual allowance.

Advanced Training Speciality Modules (ATSMs)

ATSMs are undertaken during the last two years of training. They equip the trainee with the advanced skills required for a consultant post in their chosen area of interest. Each trainee must complete a minimum of two ATSMs OR sub-speciality training to be eligible for the Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) in O&G. However, more ATSMs may be completed if desired.

Some ATSMs are comprised of Advanced Skills Modules (ASMs) which are elements that are common across different ATSMs. ASMs can be completed as standalone modules to enhance your CV, however will not count towards the two required ATSMs. There is only one ASM which is not contained within an ATSM, which is the ASM in Safe Practice in Abortion Care.

Some trainees will choose to undertake sub-speciality training instead of ATSMs. This training is undertaken in a specialist unit and is available in the following areas:

• Gynaecological oncology
• Urogynaecology
• Maternal and Fetal Medicine
• Reproductive Medicine

Deciding on which of the advanced curricula to undertake is an exciting time as you shape your plans for your future career as a consultant in O&G. It’s vital to plan ahead in conjunction with your supervisors and trainers to maximise your training opportunities. These advanced curricula provide a framework for training by defining the standards required for work at consultant level. They also inspire pursuit of excellence in all aspects of practice and encourage you to take responsibility of your own learning as you will do as a consultant.

To find out more about ATSMs, please read the KSS Advanced Training Guide below: