Education Awards

The Alban Barros D’Sa Bursary is an annual award generously established in his memory, reflecting Mr Barros D’Sa’s specialty and interest in supporting surgeons in training. The award offers the winner up to £1,000 towards the fees of an RCS England course with an upper GI or Colorectal surgery element.

Eligibility

In order to apply, you must:

• be a member, fellow or affiliate of The Royal College of Surgeons of England, and
• be at FY2, CT1-2, ST3-8 level and hold a national training number, or be working as a SAS doctor.

Judging criteria

Applications will be judged against the following criteria:

• full and accurate completion of the form;
• evidence that the course will contribute to your learning, development and furtherance of your career;
• your academic achievements;
• your commitment and contribution to medical education or educational activities;
• your response to the question: 'How do we make surgery more carbon neutral?' (limit 500 words). 

The award can be used against the following courses

PG Cert in Surgery: Coloproctology: Colorectal Cancer (e-learning) online module

Specialty Skills in Emergency Surgery and Trauma (SSET)

Intermediate Skills in Laparoscopic Surgery

Core Skills in Laparoscopic Surgery

How to apply

This award will open on 4 September 2023. 

Please email educationawards@rcseng.ac.uk  for any queries.

The Worshipful Company of Needlemakers is generously providing bursaries of up to £1000 towards the fees of an RCS England-administered course. 

Eligibility:

In order to apply, you must:

• be a member or affiliate of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and
• be in stages CT1-2 or ST1-2 of a recognised UK training programme or an SAS/ LED equivalent.

Following completion of the course, winners must also submit a short report outlining the impact that attending the course had on their career.

Judging criteria (equally weighted):

• reasons you wish to attend the course of your choice (150 words);
• commitment to education/educational activities (150 words);
• short essay question: 'How do we make surgery more carbon neutral?' (500 words).

The award can be used against the following courses:

Basic Surgical Skills (Intercollegiate BSS)

Care of the Critically Ill Surgical Patient (CCrISP)

Core Skills in Laparoscopic Surgery

Specialty Skills in Emergency Surgery and Trauma (SSET)

PGCert in Surgery (enrolment fee plus 12 or 13 credits of modules) 

Pre-hospital and Emergency Department Resuscitative Thoracotomy

Training the Trainers: Developing Teaching Skills

How to apply:

This award will open on 25 September 2023.

Please email educationawards@rcseng.ac.uk  for any queries.

The Margaret Witt Scholarship Fund for Clinical Excellence is an award for surgical trainees to attend a Royal College of Surgeons of England Course. The fund was established in 2009 thanks to a generous legacy from the late Margaret Witt and now due to an additional bequest by the late Lorna Bartlett (sister of Margaret Witt), we are able to increase the number of awards available (4 in previous years), on condition that at least one is awarded to a woman. 

Each award is worth up to £1,000. 

Eligibility:

In order to apply, you must:

• be a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and 

• hold a national speciality training number (i.e. ST3 and above) or be working as a SAS doctor at an equivalent level or be a core surgical trainee.

Judging criteria:

Please read the Guidance Document for full details on the criteria below.

• personal statement - benefits of attending your chosen course (150 words);
• leadership and team working - what contributions you have made (100 words);
• teaching, training, and education - how you have benefitted the wider workforce (100 words);
• research and scholarship - how you have supported innovation (100 words);
• short essay question: 'What does integrity mean to you?' (500 words).

Advanced Trauma Life Support ATLS®) Provider

Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS®) Instructor

Advanced Trauma Nursing Course (ATNC) Instructor

Clinical Skills in Emergency Surgery (CSES)

Pre-hospital and Emergency Department Resuscitative Thoracotomy (PERT)

Specialty Skills in Emergency Surgery and Trauma (SSET)

Care of the Critically Ill Surgical Patient (CCrISP)

Care of the Critically Ill Surgical Patient (CCrISP) Instructor Course

Core Skills in Laparoscopic Surgery

Intercollegiate Basic Surgical Skills (BSS)

Surgical Skills for Students and Health Professionals (SSSHP)

Systematic Training in Acute Illness Recognition and Treatment (START)

Post Graduate Certificate in Surgery (up to £1000 of modules)

Damage Control Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery (DCOTS)

Definitive Surgical Trauma Skills (DSTS)  

Intermediate Skills in Laparoscopic Surgery 

Training the Trainers: Developing Teaching Skills

Excellence in Surgical Supervision (ESS) 

How to apply: 

This award is now closed for 2023.

For further information, please email EducationAwards@rcseng.ac.uk

• How do I apply for an education award?
• Can I apply for more than one education award at the same time?
• How do I know when my application has been received?
• How and when will I hear if I have been awarded?
• How are awards paid?
• What is required from me as a winner of an award?
• Which courses can I use an award for?
• What happens if my award is worth more than my course fees?
• What happens if my award doesn't cover my course fees?
• The course I want to go on is already fully booked - can I go on the next one?
• What happens if I need to cancel my place on a course I booked using an award?
• The course I want to go on has been cancelled - what can I do?
• How long do I have to use my award?
  
• Who can I contact with more questions about RCS education awards?

How do I apply for an education award?

Please take a look at the application requirements for each individual bursary.

Can I apply for more than one education award at the same time?

Yes - you can apply for as many of our education awards as you like. However, we do ask that each application is for a different course.

How do I know when my application has been received?

You’ll receive an automated confirmation of receipt after sending your application over email to educationawards@rcseng.ac.uk.

If you don’t receive this response, please resend your email to the same address. If you still haven’t received the automated email, please call the education awards team on 020 7869 6300.

Please note that we cannot accept any responsibility for applications that have not received the automated confirmation of receipt email.

How and when will I hear if I have been awarded?

After the closing date, all applications are reviewed and shortlisted by a panel that includes the Professor of Surgical Education and the tutor of the relevant course portfolio. If you have been successful, you will be notified in a letter.

This process usually takes around four weeks.

How are awards paid?

Awards are paid directly to the course that you nominated in your application. This happens as soon as we receive confirmation that your place on the course is booked.

What is required from me as a winner of an award?

This depends on the organisation sponsoring your award or bursary. The Worshipful Company of Needlemakers, for example, invite their awardees to lunch each year to discuss the RCS courses that they attended. 

Which courses can I use an award for?

Please refer to the information under each award section.

What happens if my award is worth more than my course fees?

Please refer to the individual terms & conditions for each award as this depends on the organisation sponsoring your award or bursary. Any money left over from The Margaret Witt Scholarship award, for example, can be used to claim back travel or accommodation expenses. 

What happens if my award doesn’t cover my course fees?

If this happens, you will need to cover any remaining fees yourself. Please note that your course place won’t be confirmed until the full balance has been paid.

The course I want to go on is already fully booked - can I go on the next one?

If your nominated course is already fully booked by the time the bursary is awarded, please let us know within two weeks whether you would like to hold the bursary until the next time the course runs (this must be within one year) or alternatively, if you would like to nominate a different course from the same portfolio. Failure to do so may result in your bursary being forfeited.

What happens if I need to cancel my place on a course I booked using an award?

The RCS course cancellation policy applies to all courses, regardless of how they have been paid for.

If you need to cancel your place more than four weeks before the course date, you will incur an administration fee of 10% (or £50, whichever is greater) of the total course fee.

If you need to cancel your place within four weeks of the course date, you will be charged the full course fee. This is because RCS is a not-for-profit organisation, meaning that we need a minimum number of participants to make our courses financially viable. We have to charge the full course fee in this circumstance, as we cannot guarantee to fill the vacated place within four weeks.

The full course cancellation fee charge can sometimes be reduced or waived in very exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the College.

The course I want to go on has been cancelled - what can I do?

If your nominated course is cancelled, please choose a different course from the same portfolio within the given timeframe of the award.

How long do I have to use my award?

Who can I contact with more questions about RCS education awards?

If you need support or have a query, please email EducationAwards@rcseng.ac.uk or call the education awards team on 0207 869 6300.