Cracking the General Surgical Interviews for ST3

Sala Abdalla, Amber Shivarajan, Kaushiki Singh

• Publisher: CRC Press
• Year: 2022
• ISBN:
  9781000531060
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Medicina
• Subtopic: Medicina chirurgica e chirurgia

ST3 interviews are extremely competitive and achieving the highest possible score is essential in securing the surgical training post of choice. The key to success in these interviews is through diligent preparation.

This book outlines the structure and format of the ST3 general surgical interviews, with chapters dedicated to each component area that is assessed on the day. Written in an engaging style, it provides an essential resource for the interviews, with all of the required material in one book, a bonus for many readers with time constraints imposed by a demanding work schedule. It is aimed at instilling prospective surgeons with the tools and confidence needed to succeed at the ST3 general surgical interview. Success in these structured interviews will lead to the award of a 'national training number'.

1 Portfolio Station

DOI: 10.1201/9781003221739-1

The portfolio is one of the critical components of the ST3 recruitment process. It is a collection of evidence designed to show that the applicant meets the person specification requirements for the specialist training program in general and vascular surgery.

THE PERSON SPECIFICATION

The person specification for ST3 sets out the desirable traits and achievements that the ideal candidate would have. It is released every year and is worth reading to help you prepare for the interview. Here is a summary of the key points in the person specification.

The ideal candidate would demonstrate evidence of the following:

• Career progression
  • Achievement of the competencies as listed in the Core Surgical Training Curriculum
• Clinical skills
  • Application of sound clinical knowledge and judgment to problems
  • Appropriate prioritization of clinical need
  • Technical and clinical competence
  • Diagnostic skills and clinical judgment
• Research and audit skills
  • Understanding of audit, clinical risk management and evidence-based practice
  • Knowledge of basic research principles, methodology and ethics
  • Contribution to audit
• Teaching
  • Participation in teaching others
• Communication skills
  • Ability to communicate with others productively and considerately
  • Ability to discuss management options with patients in an effective manner
• Problem-solving and decision-making
  • The use of a range of problem-solving methods
  • Development of suitable judgment and decision-making skills
• Managing others and team involvement
  • Leadership skills
  • Management skills
  • Working successfully with colleagues and in a multidisciplinary team
• Organizing and planning
  • Time management and appropriate prioritization of workload
  • Ability to balance urgent demands and follow instructions
  • Understanding the importance and use of information systems
• Vigilance and situational awareness
  • Anticipating situations that may arise and preparing for them accordingly
• Coping with pressure and managing uncertainty
  • Working efficiently under pressure
  • Working effectively in highly emotive situations
  • Being aware of one’s limitations
  • Knowing when to ask for help
• Values
  • Knowledge of the values of the national health service (NHS) which are:
    • Improving lives
    • Commitment to quality of care
    • Respect and dignity
    • Compassion
    • Working together for patients
• Probity
  • Taking responsibility for their actions
  • Understanding ethical principles including safety, confidentiality and consent
• Commitment to specialty
  • Having a realistic insight into general and vascular surgery and the personal demands of training in surgery
  • Understanding the training program
  • Being committed to one’s development

The various aspects of the portfolio and the questions that can be asked in the portfolio station are designed to elicit the various features listed in the specification.

THE PORTFOLIO

The portfolio is fully prepared and submitted before the interview, and so it is the one part of the interview process which can be controlled entirely by the applicant. Early preparation is vital for success in the portfolio station. The portfolio requirements are updated each year and can be found in the applicant’s handbook on the specialty recruitment website. It is essential to read this handbook before the application to ensure that the current standards are met.

Overall, there are specific portfolio requirements that do not change significantly from year to year. This chapter will cover the separate areas of the portfolio in detail. The portfolio station requirements for several previous years have been analyzed, and details have been provided on each requirement. The portfolio station for any given year will include a combination of these.

It is necessary to start preparing evidence for the portfolio at least several months, ideally years, in advance. Evidence can be used from the beginning of medical training.

Awareness of the requirements of the portfolio is essential so that any missing areas can be acquired before the interview.

THE FORMAT OF THE PORTFOLIO STATION

There are two aspects to the portfolio station. The first is the content of the portfolio which will be assessed and marked. Usually, the portfolio is submitted ahead of the interview. The second aspect is your ability to answer questions about your career in general. The candidate will usually spend 10 minutes answering such questions.

The first part of this chapter looks at the portfolio requirements, and the second part looks at the questions that may be asked.

Portfolio requirements and evidence which can be supplied for each

1. 
   The surgical logbook
   • This section is an important part and looks at the numbers of index procedures performed by the applicant.
   • These numbers should be recorded in an electronic format. A consolidation sheet from a validated logbook can be used as evidence of the number of procedures performed by the applicant. Electronic ‘E’-logbook is an example of a standard website used for this purpose in the United Kingdom.
   • The ‘index procedures’ are the essential procedures that applicants to the specialty training program are expected to have. These procedures can vary from year to year and include appendicectomies (laparoscopic and/or open), repair of inguinal hernias, emergency laparotomy, groin exploration, laparotomy incision and closure, laparoscopic port placement and closure, and cholecystectomy. Appendicectomies and inguinal hernias make the list each year, so these are the two procedures to mainly target during clinical placements before the interview.
   • Different points can be given to the number of these procedures performed and whether they were performed supervised or unsupervised by the trainer.
   • Work-based assessments (WBAs) such as DOPS (direct observation of procedural skills) or PBAs (procedure-based assessments) signed off by consultants can be used to supplement the logbook evidence—these are forms available on the intercollegiate surgical curriculum programme (ISCP) website. Often, a higher number of points are available for WBAs performed at a level 3 or 4 which denote greater competence. This section aims to show the acquisition of at least a CT2 level skill in these procedures.
2. 
   Publications
   • Only papers that have been published in PubMed-indexed journals and have a PMID (PubMed identifier) are awarded points.
   • These can include papers published during medical school or previous degrees.
   • Case reports receive fewer points, and in some years, they have not been included at all in the assessment.
   • Published abstracts, letters or technical tips are not included here.
   • Maximum points are available for first author publications, although some points may still be awarded for authorship in any other position on the author list.
3. 
   Presentations
   • These include oral or poster presentations given at regional, national, or international conferences.
   • The candidate must be a listed author for the presentation to be eligible for points.
   • It is worthwhile submitting presentations each year to conferences such as ASIT (Association of Surgeons in Training) annual conference and the ASGBI (Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland) annual conference which highly encourage trainee input.
   • Maximum points are available for oral national and inter...