We asked Edinburgh Sixth Year and ESSS president Andrew Clelland about his top tips for students interested in pursuing surgery. Here's what he had to say... Final year of med school represents an exciting time of change but is a marathon with possible academic foundation job applications, the judgement test, finals and of course your elective! This means that most of your experience in surgery will likely have to come before this time as there is less time once working as a junior doctor. So this post will hopefully provide some useful tips for budding surgeons keen to get the most out of their time in medical school! *Disclaimer: before reading, this list is not exhaustive, nor is it intended to be a checklist which you must frantically complete! Read it, have a think, set your goals and chat to someone about how you’re going to take things forward. Tip #1: Get Involved with ESSS
This is a no brainer – learn new skills and practice them. Doesn’t matter whether you’re in 1st or 5th year, always a great time to get involved! Attend lots of events including our annual surgical conference to see what a career in surgery is actually like. Then run for a position on committee and help shape the future of ESSS! The society is a great place to meet like-minded people. Why not get a group together and go to a conference? Tip #2: Spend Time in Theatre Spend time in theatre with surgeons you get on with. Most will be happy to have you along. Make sure you understand basic theatre etiquette (future blog!) and read up relevant anatomy before the case. Watch videos on scrubbing and have a scrub nurse help you. Ask appropriate questions and appropriate times (not when surgeon looks deep in concentration) – but still ask! if you’ve nailed suturing from our ESSS suturing tutorials – ask to close with some stitches! Sign up to eLogbook (https://www.elogbook.org/) and write up cases and what you did. They don’t all need to be validated but good if you can. It’s just a record of experience. If you really get on with a surgeon, ask if they have any research opportunities (more below). This could be the start of a great professional relationship and may lead to future theatre time, conference presentations in beautiful places (I am writing this blog in Melbourne) and those elusive publications! Mentorship is a wonderful thing and many of you will have mentors before you even realise it, they will nurture your talents and open doors – work hard and take those opportunities! Tip #3: Get Involved with Research Make sure they have a proven track record (>3 publications in last 2 years minimum I’d say). See it through to the end. Try to design the project yourself as best you can. My ‘how to’ start a research project:
Tip #4: Keep Record of Everything The boring but by far most important part. Buy a box file and start an electronic filing system that works for you and keep evidence of EVERYTHING. Sadly, if you don’t have a signed and dated piece of paper – it didn’t happen. Chasing evidence years down the line is a thankless task. Same for eLogbook - And Some General Advice... Look at person specification criteria for Core Surgical Training and Specialty Training which can be found from a quick google. Remember it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Many will race towards getting a surgical training number or consultant post. Remember to enjoy your life – it gets tougher as you progress! The content mentioned in this blog should be enjoyable most of the time, just think about collecting evidence. Don’t panic and start doing everything at once as it’s overwhelming. Build it up slowly and keep your workload manageable – you need to get through the MBChB and have a social life! ESSS is full of great members and a supportive committee. Feel free to ask any of us for advice or support! Say YES to opportunities that come your way – those who work hard seem to get luckier than those who don’t! Best of luck. Andrew D Clelland ESSS President 2019-20 Feel free to contact ESSS for advice and support at any time! Also, feel free to drop me an email: [email protected]
1 Comment
Violet
3/9/2020 11:36:34 am
A really useful article, to the point. Thanks for writing it!
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorsArticles are written by Edinburgh-based students and doctors, for the benefit of those interested in surgery. Archives
March 2024
Categories
|