News and opportunities

Breaking news

• Happy New Year! The New Year is a time of hope and resolutions, so why not start the year as you mean to go on, by updating yourself with some great review articles and recent research pearls:
  • Messika, Jonathan, et al. “A musical intervention for respiratory comfort during non-invasive ventilation in the ICU.” European Respiratory Journal (2018): 1801873.
  • Jolliffe, David A., et al. “Vitamin D to prevent exacerbations of COPD: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data from randomised controlled trials.” Thorax (2019): thoraxjnl-2018.
  • Carlisle, Jennifer W., and Suresh S. Ramalingam. “A banner year for immunotherapy and targeted therapy.” Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology (2018): 1.
  • Behr, Marcel A., Paul H. Edelstein, and Lalita Ramakrishnan. “Revisiting the timetable of tuberculosis.” BMJ 362 (2018): k2738. This even has an associated podcast.
• Welcome to new ST3s Erik, Krishna and Eshrina who will be joining the rotation in April. Have a look at the pages specifically for ST3s, and check out the resources page, particularly for the clinic aide-memoires.
• Please join us in saying thank you and goodbye to LJ as she CCTs next month and steps down as Trainee Rep. This site, and training issues generally, will be managed by Camus, Kher and Anita. Please get in touch with them with any queries or requests.
• Our next NET Training Day will be at Barts Hospital on 29th January.  See below for other confirmed training days. Please make sure you alert your Consultants, and cancel clinics as early as possible.
• We will be launching the NECL Trainee Respiratory Research Network at the Barts Training Day. It needs a snappy name, ideas of network research, and energy and enthusiasm from you. More news coming soon!

Respiratory Training Programme

• We are sadly still far from a pre-planned annual training programme, and disappointingly have no confirmed pan-London training days. 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?
  • Jan 29th Barts Health (Barts and the London) – Respiratory Infection. Link on synapse.
  • Feb 28th: Royal Free and Partners (Royal Free) – Respiratory Oncology
  • March 4th: UCLH. Link on Synapse. 
  • April: Barking and Havering (Queens/King George)?
  • May 17th: North Middlesex
  • June 5th: Whittington Health
  • July: Barts Health Partners (Barts and the London, Newham, Whipps Cross)?
  • Aug: no training days – summer holidays
  • Sep: Basildon Physiology Annual Training Day – date tbc
  • Oct: Homerton Hospital?
  • Nov: Pan-London?
  • Dec: no training days – Winter BTS

Confirmed dates will be on synapse, and you should to sign up for them in the same way as GIM days. Please do check for active links: NENC Regional Training days, but if there is no information do please still turn up!

Screen shot of Synapse 19/1/19 https://secure.synapse.nhs.uk/pages/group_1486/daf4a0be587639d67cfa511963bdcc7b

GIM Training Programme

• Please remember to look on synapse, on this page, under NENC GIM Regional Training Day for info on GIM days.  Check the FAQs for a reminder of how to find the page with info on.
• There continue to be monthly acute medicine teaching sessions, run by registrars for registrars at UCLP on Tottenham Court Road on the 2nd Thursday of every month 4-6pm, Tottenham Court Road. Book via Eventbrite – info on the GIM Synapse page.

External/Additional Training

• Upcoming Teach-Ins at the Royal College of Physicians area all in Liverpool as far as we can see. 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.
• 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.
• Follow @resptrainees and take a look at the Respiratory Futures Trainees website. Resources are being added all the time.
• 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

• Coming up to CCT? All Consultant jobs are advertised on the NHS jobs site, which will send you updates if you set up your preferences. Remember that can interview within 6 months of your CCT date.
• The ERS has a number of fellowships on offer. Keep an eye out for interesting opportunities.
• 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?

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

• BTOG 23-25 Jan (Dublin)
• ATS 17-22 May (Dallas)
• BTS Summer 13-14 June (Manchester)
• ERS 28 Sep – 2 Oct (Milan)

Other

• Please send us info on your current or previous jobs directly by email, or through the updated and short anonymous update form. If you are currently out of programme please send information on your most recent, most liked or most hated post!
• We have updated some sections including FAQs. Are you having problems with your Educational Supervisor not fulfilling the essential duties of their role? Read HEE’s guidance on how to escalate. Need to know who your Responsible officer is for revalidation? It’s all in the FAQs.
• 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.