Trainees' Forum
SMILE: sustaining medical education in a lockdown environment
2020 posed challenges to medical education like never seen before. In an effort to contain and slow the spread of coronavirus all UK medical schools ceased or reduced face-to-face contact. This sudden, and for many, unexpected change resulted in pressures...
Mentorship and its role in surgical training
Is there a principle which could help address multiple challenges in surgical training? One which has potential to improve recruitment and retention of staff to our specialty, quality of patient care and surgeon morale? The author discusses the past present...
The effect of COVID-19 on urology training
COVID-19 has affected all aspects of medicine. Urologists have been called upon to work in vastly different working environments including acute pan-surgical teams, intensive care and medical wards. The strategies put in place by hospital management teams vary significantly across...
COVID-19: the impact on a junior registrar
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic I was a trust grade junior registrar, using this year at a district general hospital to gain experience, skills and portfolio points for round two of National Selection. My urology registrar on-call duties would consist...
Transplant urology at Guy’s Hospital: making the most of a year out before specialty training
It was gutting to miss out on urology at national selection on my first attempt. The ST3 application has become increasingly competitive and this means more appointable trainees find themselves looking to plan B. The options available can be daunting...
How to organise a urology taster week as a foundation trainee
Current exposure to urology in medical undergraduate curriculums is relatively sparse in comparison to the other surgical specialties with one study reporting just 42% of students having a compulsory attachment. These attachments were an average length of just one week...
#DontPayToStay Campaign – how one urology trainee led a successful campaign to eliminate charges for non-resident on call accommodation across England
The 2016 terms and conditions of service (junior doctor contract) introduced the following clause: 11. Where a doctor is rostered to work on a non-resident on-call working pattern and the doctor elects voluntarily, subject to the availability of accommodation, to...
The Parnell Fund Bursary 2019
At the start of July 2019 applications for the Parnell Fund Bursary were opened to trainees, consultants and healthcare professionals across the United Kingdom with an interest in female, functional and neuro-urology. Rachel Barratt, who was awarded the Parnell Fund...
The value of Urolink: an OOPE experience
I was fortunate enough to be able to take some time out of my training after ST5 to pursue an Out Of Programme Experience (OOPE) year. During the Urolink meeting at the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) 2017 conference...
British Urology Researchers in Surgical Training research collaborative: A BURST of ideas and endeavours
The British Urology Researchers in Surgical Training (BURST) research collaborative was founded in 2015 with the aim of creating research opportunities for urology trainees in the UK. It was built on early foundations laid out by the Thames Research Urologists...
TUF Warriors – joining the fundraising fight
What is the TUF Warrior programme? The Urology Foundation (TUF) Warrior programme is designed to support core trainees, clinical fellows and foundation doctors interested in urology. It creates opportunities to develop extracurricular interests, connect with patients, boost applications for specialty...
Bouncing Back: support, mentorship and advice for those unsuccessful in urology ST3 national selection
The 2018 BAUS Annual Scientific Meeting in Liverpool delivered the first session for applicants unsuccessful in urology ST3 national selection. The session was organised and run by Luke Forster, Core Training Liaison Representative, along with several trainees. Background The concept...
