550 “No One Told Me About This Side of The Job!” A Novel Method for Teaching Senior Surgical Trainees

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Higher surgical training is specifically geared towards preparation for working as a Consultant, but trainees typically get limited exposure to Consultant level administration tasks. Whilst Consultants are familiar with these tasks, registrars are often naïve to this side of clinical practice and new Consultants find it takes up a significant proportion of their time. We developed an “office admin” simulation session as a method for gaining further non-technical skills in surgery. Method A simulation based on a real Consultant General Surgeon’s workload was created, which included actioning pathology reports, vetting referrals, and planning a theatre list. Trainees were given 40 minutes to work through the tasks before debriefing with an experienced simulation facilitator. Results Six general surgical trainees took part in the pilot. All found it ‘useful’ or ‘very useful’ and stated that it will help prepare them for the role of Consultant. All felt it would make a useful regular addition to the regional teaching programme. Conclusions This novel simulation was well received and demonstrated a useful method to practise these skills in preparing for the role of Consultant. We aim to develop the simulation package further so it can augment the regional speciality training.