News and Opportunities

Breaking news

• Changeover is just around the corner once again. Please consider writing a handover document if one does not already exist for your post. Please use this template and annotate with all the essential information to make the transition for the SpR who follows you easy–> Resp guide for SpRs template.
• Now is also a great time to fill in the hospital trust update form (which is very short) about your most recent post. Some places still have incomplete information – eg Barts, Broomfield, North Mid (who are the Consultants? What are NIV arrangements?), Southend (who are the Consultants? What are NIV arrangements?). Please help us keep this information up to date so that trainees can request placements to meet their needs.
• We have updated a number of sections of the website, including: FAQs, ARCP and PYA, Leadership and Management, and Research. Please take a look and let us know what else should be on there.
• We are planning to write brief guidance on: how to prepare for CCT. What else would be useful? Let is know.

Respiratory Training Programme

• We have had some excellent training days recently, with highly relevant and interesting programmes. We only have 2 confirmed dates so we’re hoping more dates for training days in 2018 will be confirmed soon. Why don’t you ask your clinical lead to confirm the date for the training day at your hospital? Why not offer to help find a speaker or two, or suggest a topic to help make it relevant to your training needs?
  • 27th April – North Mid – programme not yet released
  • May Queens and King George ? Disappointedly no date has been confirmed.
  • 6th June Whittington. Also Summer BTS 14-15 June (MCR)
  • July Barts Health (Barts, Whipps X, Newham) – date and location tbc
  • Aug no training day (holidays)
  • Sep Basildon Pan-London training day – date tbc
  • Oct Homerton – date tbc (plus Bronch training at Royal Free for new ST3s)
  • Nov Pan-London training day?
  • Dec no training day (Winter BTS)
  • Jan Barts Health (Barts, Whipps X, Newham) – date tbc

These are the topics we suggest would be good to cover in the next few training days:

• tracheostomy care
• optiflow (evidence, indications)
• Radiology – bring back the quizzes
• pulmonary rehab – evidence, quality, impact
• sarcoidosis management
• physiology
• palliative care – pharma/non-pharma management, evidence
• management and leadership

All these dates are supposed to be on synapse, and we are supposed to sign up for them in the same way as GIM days. Unfortunately there is no relevant information on the Respiratory page of synapse (Dashboard -> Respiratory Medicine –> NENC Regional Training days):  https://secure.synapse.nhs.uk/pages/group_1486/daf4a0be587639d67cfa511963bdcc7b  For now, please just turn up and sign in on paper as usual.

GIM Training Programme

• The next regional GIM teaching day on an unknown date at an unknown location! HEE now runs these and you (unfortunately) need to use Synapse to get information on training days. Despite feedback that Synapse is terrible, the powers that be have decided to continue to use it. To make sure you get GIM training day info you need to:Click ‘My profile’, Under ‘My training programmes’ click ‘Add another’, There select ‘KSS Schools of Medicine’ and in the next drop box ‘General internal medicine north sector’. Saying that, there is currently no information on the GIM pages on future training days…. Here is the direct link once you’ve logged in https://secure.synapse.nhs.uk/pages/group_1502/19b4fea9f443618a00d3c1fc6554b17f    
• The next monthly acute medicine teaching sessions, run by registrars for registrars at UCLP on Tottenham Court Road is on 15th March on Hepatology (they are on the 2nd Thursday of every month) 4-6pm, Tottenham Court Road. Book via Eventbrite.
• A number of UCLP training sessions are available, focused on professional development. These include sessions on quality improvement, leadership, self-care and resilience, and cultural health factors.  Find details, dates and links to book via Eventbrite on the UCLP pages. The trainee Reps have been on several of these so ask them about which ones were particularly good.
• Please make sure you arrange your placements in Pulmonary HTN, CF, OcLD, and your management course so that they are spread out throughout your training. They should not all be done in the last year, and there are advantages to taking some earlier, pre-SCE. Have a look at FAQs on tips on how to arrange.

External/Additional Training

• Upcoming Teach-Ins at the Royal College of Physicians include: Cardiology on 6th March.  The RCP are streaming some events, including Teach-ins, and has an archive so you can catch up with events you missed.
• Sign up to the PLAN (Pan-London Airways Network) newsletter to hear of free educational events open to the entire Respiratory MDT. A great opportunity to learn alongside MDT colleagues and sign-off curriculum competencies – why not invite your specialist nurse and physio colleagues?
• Follow @resptrainees and take a look at the Respiratory Futures Trainees website. Resources are being added all the time, and a podcast series on Respiratory careers is planned for the end of this year. Recommend your own resources and share the love with your fellow Respiratory trainees
• HEE (what was The London Deanery eons ago) provide some funded courses, free career advice and individual support. Make the most of these great opportunities by having a look at the website and booking yourself onto something

Jobs/OOP/Opportunities

• The ERS has a number of fellowships on offer.
• The BTS highlights a number of funding opportunities relevant to Respiratory trainees on its’ pages.
• Remember that even if specific research jobs are not advertised, Consultants with academic positions are always looking for enthusiastic SpRs to join them. They may have pots of money for projects, or may have ideas that could become an MD/PhD. You’ll never know if you don’t ask. Ask around, and get in touch with anyone on the research pages for more info. Wondering whether you want to pursue a future in academic Respiratory medicine? Why not watch the BTS video featuring Dr John Hurst?

Committees

• TPMC –> now Pan-London STC
  • Please get in touch to raise issues you want us to bring up at the next STC meeting. In the new model, with HEE at the helm, we are meeting with all London TPDs.  Let us know what concerns you so we can be an effective trainee voice on the committee.

Conferences

• ATS 18-23rd May (San Diego)
• BTS Summer 14-15th June (Manchester) – accepting abstracts. Submit your QIP, case reports and research!
• ERS 15-19th Sep (Paris)
• PCRS 28-29th Sep (Telford)

Other

• Have a look at the COPD audit forum on the Respiratory Futures BTS site. It brings together information, learning and QI resources. Don’t reinvent the wheel – use the experiences of others to improve care for patients with COPD in your Trust.
• Please send us info on your current or previous jobs directly by email, or through the updated and shorter anonymous update form. If you are currently out of programme please send information on your most recent, most liked or most hated post!