SP10.2.11 Horses for Courses – do surgical courses exist outside of the Royal Colleges?

Abstract

Abstract Aims Educational courses supplement deanery-led teaching, and may be mandatory for training progression. The Royal College websites are the first contact for trainees to search for courses, with other courses identified by word of mouth. This project aimed to collate a first comprehensive database of courses available for core and higher general surgical trainees and to identify areas requiring development. Methods A snowballing approach was used to systematically search all online available resources. This includes, but was not limited to, websites of the Royal Colleges, sub-speciality societies, trainee organisations, regional centres, deaneries and surgical technology companies. Course target grade, price, provider and dates were collated into a database. Conferences and symposiums were excluded. Results 47 sources yielded 173 courses, priced between £50 to £1600 (median £450). Technical skills (89/173) and clinical courses (45/173) entailed the majority; only 3 courses developed non-technical skills and 4 developed surgical leadership. Other categories include revision (11.6%), teaching (5.2%), and research skills (1.7%). The Royal Colleges provided 27.7% of all available courses, with the majority developed and delivered by other institutions. There was significant variability in available course information. Conclusions There are a wide variety of courses available for surgical trainees, however this information is fragmented, duplicated and incomplete. A central database requires maintenance, but would provide a reliable source of information. Leadership, research and non-technical skills are critical skills for surgeons – the lack of courses in these areas was surprising and require development as only 4 courses are endorsed by the Royal Colleges.