Health Education East of England Atsm Training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology

HEALTH EDUCATION EAST OF ENGLAND ATSM TRAINING IN OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY

ATSM DIRECTOR: Helen Johnson (Email: )

REGISTERING FOR AN ATSM

Before you apply for an ATSM, please have a discussion with your educational supervisor and your college tutor about your career aspirations, your skillsets and the localities of training so that you can plan your ATSM route. Please also review the FAQ and the application pages on the RCOG website

The college has a number of FAQ’s about ATSM’s also, please read these before applying. In applying these within our HEEoE, all trainees must complete 2 ATSMs, many will find it possible to obtain 3. Although we have no upper limit currently, this is under discussion, and any trainee applying for further ATSM’s may not have this approved in the future.

Your training will not be extended to complete ATSMs if you already have 2 completed ATSMs. Also, your further ATSM completion will not be a consideration when determining where you go for your period of grace, and that unit does not have to honour completion of the ATSM with timetabling. This is in concordance with the RCOG

What’s the latest I can register for an ATSM before being awarded my CCT/CESR(CP)?

You need to allow yourself sufficient time to complete two ATSMs in order to obtain your CCT. If you wish to register for a further ATSM close to your predicted CCT/CESR(CP) date, you’ll need to discuss this with your ATSM Director and other trainers to ensure you are still able to complete the necessary competences for your two ATSMs. Also, your deanery’s priority is to ensure all trainees meet the requirements for CCT before offering additional training opportunities to others.

If you are permitted to register for a further ATSM close to your predicted CCT/CESR(CP) date, your CCT/CESR(CP) date won’t be extended.

Along with all new ATSM requests, the trainees should send an accompanying letter explaining their career intentions and how the particular ATSM would benefit them. They should also mention :

• whether they have already met any of the prerequisites for the ATSM (ie mandatory courses)
• previously acquired experience and skills that would be relevant to the ATSM for e.g. if you are applying for the Acute gynaecology and Early pregnancy ATSM and have completed the intermediate scanning module. This will highlight to the director that the ATSM may have some areas already of competency and have a rough prediction of when they may complete the module. It will particularly help in modules with significant skills to acquire, for e.g. advanced laparoscopic, benign abdominal or vaginal surgery and feto-maternal medicine.
• ATSM’s you have already completed
• Your CCT date

Please include your email address in any correspondence

The trainee needs to send stamped addressed envelopes for the journey of the ATSM paperwork unless they are visiting in person for all stages - ie one to the preceptor, one to the ATSM director and a final one for the college. If there are no stamped envelopes, the paperwork will not progress from the secretary's desk. The process of acquiring signatures can take 2-4 weeks dependent on annual leave of preceptors/director.

When the trainee moves hospital, they need to notify the ATSM preceptor and ATSM director by email of the change of unit and their new educational supervisor.

ATSM REGISTRATION IN YOUR PERIOD OF GRACE

Currently the HEEoE, as of the last school board meeting does not intend to approve further ATSM in the grace period except in exceptional circumstances.

This is in concordance with RCOG policy

Can I undertake ATSM training during my period of grace?

Only in exceptional circumstances should you undertake ATSM training during your period of grace. If you would like to do ATSM training in this period, please discuss this with your ATSM Director. The final decision will be made on an individual basis at deanery level, after discussion with the deanery ATSM Director and the Head of the Postgraduate School or the Postgraduate Dean. Your period of grace won’t be extended if you don’t complete the module in time. Also, your deanery’s priority is to ensure all trainees meet the requirements for CCT before offering additional training opportunities to others.

If your request for ATSM training in your period of grace is accepted, you’ll need to register for the ATSM with the RCOG. Please see the information on how to register for an ATSM.

If you are in your period of grace, you will need to complete the non-trainee supplemental request form. You should also attach a letter explaining your exceptional request for consideration by the Head of school, training programme director and ATSM director. It is still not to be expected that this will be approved as currently discussed on a case basis.

We will not guarantee you sessions to complete this ATSM and we will not extend the period of grace for this ATSM if it is exceptionally approved since your training with HEEoE has discontinued at the CCT date and you no longer have an educational contract with us. If a trainee rotates into the hospital wishing to do the ATSM, your training sessions will not continue on, as the trainee will have priority.

If your ATSM includes any surgical or ultrasound exposure, it is again unlikely that the exceptional request will be approved, because even if there are no other ATSM trainees, fulfilling your training needs will be detrimental to trainees in years 3-5 at the unit.

ATSM REGISTRATION FOR NON-TRAINEES

For non-trainees within the region wishing to do an ATSM, we wish that submit the non-trainee supplemental information request form as well as a covering letter about career aspirations and how this ATSM will fit with appraisal.

The educational supervisor or clinical director or college tutor of the unit in which they wish to do this also needs to complete the supplemental information request form. This is support that this ATSM has value in achieving the goals of the non-trainee as set out in annual appraisal, that the ATSM will confer benefit to the trainee and unit for their current post, and if there is a future career objective being met. They will also need to confirm that the needs of trainees within their department are being met, and that the ATSM training of the non-trainee will not compromise this.

The ATSMs needs to be chosen cautiously as only 1 ATSM will be approved at any time and a maximum of 3 ATSMswill be allowed unless there are exceptional circumstances and support from their hospital, in which case it will be discussed at the STC.

If a trainee rotates into the hospital wishing to do the ATSM, your training sessions will not continue on, as the trainee will have priority.

If your ATSM includes any surgical or ultrasound exposure, the unit needs to be certain and happy to certify that fulfilling your training needs will be not be detrimental to trainees in years 3-5 at the unit.

INFORMATION FOR LOCAL EDUCATIONAL SUPERVISORS

For non trainees, including those in the grace period, the educational supervisor should send a paragraph supporting the application with confirmation that the sessions and skills required for the module will be available and whether there are any conflicts in trainees - for example subspecialty trainees, other trainees in the ATSM, ultrasound or theatre timetablingfor years 3-5, and whether they feel there is still the ability to offer this. For most ATSM's it is felt that there can only be one trainee in the unit, but this decision is for the ATSM preceptor, so the information will be useful.

ATSM PRECEPTOR CONTACTS

ATSM DELIVERED BY UNIT

This unit information has been sent by the individual units responsible to the ATSM director and preceptors. Not all units have responded with the information. The units represented do provide ATSM training, and when the update is received it will be published. If any trainee feels that the unit they are at is not providing adequate training for the ATSM or that there are some gaps, please contact the preceptor early in the training so that alterations are possible. Menopause ATSM needs discussion early with preceptor, and note that PAG , and fetal medicine in particular are only offered at a few units.

1.All hospitals offer advanced labour ward practice, labour ward lead and medical education.

2.Most hospitals offer acute gynaecology and early pregnancy, colposcopy, urogynaecology and abortion care.

3.Hysteroscopy, benign abdominal gynaecology and advanced antenatal care have been completed in the hospitals stated in the table below and any other hospitals would need to be asked on an individual basis.

4.Maternal medicine, Gynae-oncology, Reproductive medicine, Fetal medicine and Paediatric and adolescent gynaecology are likely to be successful in the teaching hospitals but maybe offered in some of the larger DGHs and would need individual enquiry.

5.The advanced laparoscopic ATSM has a national application and if successful can be done within the deanery.

6.We are hoping to develop menopause (potentially at NNUH and WSH).

7.We do not currently offer forensic gynaecology. People wishing to do ATSMs not offered by the deanery should discuss with the ATSM director and the TPD early and they could be considered for inter deanery transfer.

8.Below is a table which lists the hospitals where trainees have recently completed the mentioned ATSM. It will be updated once we get information from other hospitals in the region.

Updated April 2014