Scottish Medical Training

GMC Reference: SES/402

ACCS Anaesthesia is a 4 year training programme during which trainees will rotate through the majority of the teaching and district general hospitals. There are 20 ACCS anaesthetic trainees in the region. There are typically 5 posts available each year which are recruited in round one of national recruitment in January for commencement in August. Entry to the programme is through Scottish National Recruitment which is run by ANRO based out of the West Midland’s Deanery.

 Trainees recruited to ACCS anaesthesia will spend their first year doing 6 months of Emergency Medicine based in Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and 6 months of Acute Internal Medicine based in St John’s Hospital, Livingston; Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy or Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. In year 2 trainees will do 6 months of Anaesthetics during which they will gain the knowledge and skills to anaesthetise straightforward cases with a supervisor available in the hospital. By achieving this trainees will gain their Initial Assessment of Competence. This then allows them to be put on the on call rota. The second 6 months will be spent in one of the FICM accredited Intensive Care Units in the region- Western General Hospital, Edinburgh; Victoria Hospital, Fife or Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. At the end of the 2 years trainees should have completed all 11 ACCS Learning Outcomes.

In CT3 trainees will do 2 6 month blocks of anaesthesia and the majority will have a 1 month placement at the Simpson’s Centre for Reproductive Health (SCRH) based at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh where trainees will get obstetric experience. By the end of CT2 trainees will be expected to have gained their Initial Assessment of Competence in Obstetric Anaesthesia.

In CT4 trainees will undertake a 2 month placement in SCRH, 1 month in paediatrics based at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and 9 months of Anaesthetics. By the end of Stage 1 training, trainees must have completed the full Primary FRCA exam and gained their Stage 1 Training Certificate in order to eligible for application to ST4.

Successful candidates are able to indicate SE Scotland as a preferred region during the recruitment process. Once all appointments have been made, successful candidates will be allocated their placements for the first year.

 

 

 

Audit and quality improvement opportunities are available in each department in the region with designated leads overseeing the work. A number of consultants are trained Scottish Improvement Leaders that are able to support QI work.  The region also has a trainee network, SQuARes NET, to provide training and support for QI work and promote collaborative working on QI projects.

 

The academic department of the University of Edinburgh has a number of opportunities available for both in and out of programme research. More information regarding these can be obtained from Professor Tim Walsh.

 

The ACCS curriculum contains a number of practical procedures. Mastery training has become well established in SE Scotland and this has been incorporated into procedural Boot Camp days where trainees get the opportunity to undertake a number of procedures in a simulated setting. These days are complemented by additional regional training days which are a combination of lectures and simulation.

 

There are well established training courses within the region that help with preparation for the Primary FRCA.  In year 2 trainees are granted a half day of study leave per week to attend the courses which cover the basic sciences for the exam. Trainees who are successful in the MCQ/SBA can then attend the regional OSCE/VIVA course in preparation for these components of the Primary FRCA. Over the years SE Scotland has had one of the highest exam pass rates in the UK.

 

The RCOA 2021 curriculum has placed a strong emphasis on simulation as part of the IAC and IACOA. Within the region we have a number of simulation experts who have developed regional training courses to support the acquisition of knowledge and skills for novice trainees. These are in addition to local teaching which includes CBD sessions, journal clubs, M+Ms and departmental updates.

 

Training is delivered across:

Forth Valley Royal Hospital - FVRH, Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, 50 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh, EH16 4SF, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, St Johns Hospital, Livingston, Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, Borders General Hospital, Melrose

Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (Acute Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine)

Western General Hospital, Edinburgh (Acute Medicine, Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine)

St. John's Hospital, Livingston (Acute Medicine, Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine)

Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy (Acute Medicine)

Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh (Year 3 Emergency Medicine)

Borders General Hospital, Melrose  (Year 3 Anaesthesia)

Stirling Royal Infirmary (Year 3 Anaesthesia)

 

 

Programme Type	Deanery based or National: Deanery
Administration office	South-East of Scotland
Lead Dean / Director	Professor Adam Hill
Responsible Associate Postgraduate Dean or Assistant Director (GP)	Dr Graeme McAlpine
Specialty or Sub-specialty	Specialty or Sub-specialty: Specialty
Date of GMC recent approval	May 2010
Associated Royal College - Faculty	Royal College of Anaesthetists,Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board (web site)
Curriculum and Associated Assessment System	http://www.gmc-uk.org/education/general_internal_medicine.asp
Programme Administrator:	Named Programme Administrator: Alan Summers Address: NHS Education for Scotland Glasgow, G3 8BW Tel: Email: Alan.Summers@nhs.scot
Programme Director	Programme Director Name: Dr Oliver Daly Address: Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh Tel: Email: oliver.daly@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
Quality of Training	Quality Management