It's Always Sunny in Surgery

Once we started ranting; we couldn't stop! The frustration, emotions and pop-culture references came pouring out. We had a lot to talk about and plenty of leftover audio after we actually finished recording. So we've got some bonus audio for your listening pleasure. Or not. Whatever you like!

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To err is human; to remediate divine. No that's not an actual aphorism; we just conceived that now to sound smart. Surgical training is HARD. Whilst there are those who excel, there are also many amongst us who find it a struggle. Today we're rejoined by Nadeem Khwaja (Deputy Postgraduate Dean for Health Education North West, and Consultant Plastic Surgeon) and he's brought along Jon Ghosh (Associate Head of School for Health Education North West and Consultant Vascular Surgeon). We talk about the grind, the telltale signs it's wearing you down, the support that can be provided to you and that there's no shame in saying you need help. Even the people we'd least expect have...

JG's mad skills at work: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2604367/Heavily-pregnant-woman-forced-birth-coma-21-year-old-speeding-driver-smashed-taxi-undertaking.html

Melton, W; Benjamin Jackson III, J; Koon, D et al. Orthopaedic Resident Remediation: Frequency, Intervention, Outcomes. JBJS Open Access. (2018) 3(4). doi: 10.2106/JBJS.OA.18.00011

To, H; Cargill, A; Tobin, S et al. Remediation of Underperformance in Surgical Trainees - A Scoping Review. Journal of Surgical Education (2020) 78 (4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsurg.2020.10.010

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Do you remember your first time? The first time you thought 'I fancy a bit of this'? Well today we have a natter with the future of surgery! We have Jacqueline Howard from Surgical Scousers (University of Liverpool undergraduate surgical society), joined by Orlane Foucault and Jacob Tan from Scalpel (University of Manchester undergraduate surgical society) where we talk about the first time they 'caught the surgical bug', and the experiences they've had that have fired up their interest. In return (powered by their enthusiasm), we lift the lid on what they can expect from surgical training, swap our undergraduate horror stories and do our level-best to not....talk them out of the profession and exacerbate the workforce crisis....

Surgical Scousers (https://surgicalscousers.weebly.com/)

Scalpel (https://www.scalpelmanchester.com/new/)

Surgery School (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=md2k5BD4qfs)

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It's exam season! So today we are dedicating a bit of time to biggest challenge to overcome in your early surgical career; the MRCS. How do you squeeze studying in and around your life? Cramming or planning? What resources do we rate? How do you take it on the chin if you don’t pass?

We also get a bit philosophical; when can you call yourself a surgeon? Why do we drop the Doctor title…?

Get Through MRCS: Anatomy 2nd Edition. Simon Overstall & Amit Zaveri (ISBN: 9781444170191)

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.1201/b13525/get-mrcs-anatomy-2e-simon-overstall-amit-zaveri

RCS England website - qualifications of a surgeon: https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/patient-care/surgical-staff-and-regulation/qualifications-of-a-surgeon/#:~:text=In%20London%2C%20after%201745%2C%20this,with%20the%20title%20%27Mr%27.

Loudon, I. Why are (male) surgeons still addressed as Mr? BMJ. 2000 Dec 23; 321(7276): 1589–1591. 

doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.321.7276.1589 

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"You gotta roll with it, you gotta take your time, you gotta say what you say, don't let anybody get in your way, 'cause it's all too much for me to take."

Yet another Oasis line that accurately captures the sentiment of the episode, which comes with a trigger warning as we talk about the entry into surgical training and how its changed over the years. In this episode, we're joined by Steve Tang (Health Education Yorks & the Humber) after his FIFTH(!!) crack at CST / ST3 National Selection. As frustrating as it can be to get your foot in the door, formal training programmes aren't the only way to forge a career in surgery; summat we touch on here. Thankfully, it's not all bad news as Steve's perseverance has paid off as he's finally been awarded an NTN! Well done lad! Also, RIP Jerry Springer; we definitely didn't see that coming.

Rohrer, Kennedy, and Knight. Myths of MTAS and MMC; Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (2007); 100(6): 252-254. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1885385/

MTAS Wikipedia Article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_Training_Application_Service

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It was only a matter of time before we snuck in an Oasis reference... In this episode, we get a bit existential as we discuss difficult placements, service provision, and tricky trainers. Not every placement will be plain sailing and we talk about survival tips to stop you capsizing, and help you come out smiling on the other side.

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Today we talk about how to capitalise on surgical training, maximise your learning opportunities and how you can even flip service provision into education! Don't worry Daniel-san, we will Mr. Miyagi you....

(NB All the advice provided was checked with Assad's own personal Miyagi, a two-time former TPD for both core and specialty trainees. Thanks JG!)

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"I walk a lonely road, the only one that I've ever known, but its home to me and I walk alone"

We've gone national! In this episode, we're joined by Anuradha Venugopal (StR Vascular Surgery Health Education West Midlands) and James Forsyth (formerly StR Health Education Yorks & Humber, now Consultant Vascular Surgeon at the Leeds General Infirmary) to sit down and discuss the hurdles we vault in training, and the most pressing question of all.... Is surgical training worth it??

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"The TPD won’t let me be, nor the SAC so let me see. They try to shut me down on ISCP but it feels so empty without me"

In this episode we're on our best behaviour as we talk to Mr. Nadeem Khwaja, the Head of the NW School of Surgery (recently promoted to Associate Dean) about who the deanery are, how they oversee surgical training, what they do for us and finally what those bloody acronyms actually mean!

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In this introduction, we talk about: the origins of the series; our motivation (or initial lack thereof); our goals; our hopes/wants/dreams; our inspiration, the creative process and the 'love letter' to Assad's favourite show. It's definitely just a tribute. Please don't tell on us.

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