Become RCS faculty

At the RCS, our faculty are at the heart of our educational offer.

Becoming a faculty member means that you play a vital role in advancing surgical education.

It allows you to develop invaluable skills as a trainer, supporting your ongoing career development. At the same time, you will experience the satisfaction of sharing your expertise and knowing that you are helping others to develop their careers.

It is also a great way to expand your professional network and learn from other surgical professionals in a unique, educational environment.

We welcome faculty from a variety of backgrounds and experience levels, who give up their time to develop and teach on RCS courses throughout the UK and abroad. Each member of the faculty plays a vital role in helping us to deliver the highest quality of surgical education.

Who can become RCS faculty?

Eligibility requirements vary from course to course, from ST3 general surgeons to consultants in a variety of specialties. If you are at least ST3 or working at an equivalent level in a trust grade post, we’ve got a course you can teach on!

For some courses, you may also need a teaching skills qualification, or credible experience in a particular field.

Apply now

Eligibility criteria

These tables show you the courses you can teach on at each training grade.

If you are not on a UK training programme, we accept an equivalent number of years postgraduate clinical experience e.g. ST3 = at least four years’ postgraduate clinical experience; ST7 = at least eight years’ postgraduate clinical experience.

Where the chart states ‘IC’, you will have to teach as an instructor candidate the first time you teach – you will be supernumerary, supervised and signed off by the Course Director.

ST3+

Course	Branch / Specialty	Faculty requirements	Alternative faculty requirements
SSS	Surgeon – any specialty	ST3 + IC	Active BSS or CSES faculty
BSS	Surgeon – any specialty	ST3 + IC	Active CSES faculty
START	Surgeon – any specialty Anaesthetist Intensive care specialist	ST3 + IC	Active CCrISP faculty

ST4+

Course

Branch / Specialty

Faculty requirements

Alternative faculty requirements

ATLS

Surgeon – any specialty

Emergency Med Physician

Anaesthetist

ST4 + IP nomination + ATLS Instructor course + IC

n/a

ST5+

Course

Branch / Specialty

Faculty requirements

Alternative faculty requirements

CCrISP

Surgeon – any specialty

Anaesthetist

Intensive care specialist

ST5 +

Teaching skills course +

Observation of (or have passed) current edition + IC

ST5 + CCrISP Instructor course

Core Lap

Surgeon – any specialty

ST5 + IC

Active Inter Lap faculty

ST6+

Course	Branch / Specialty	Faculty requirements	Alternative faculty requirements
CSES	Surgeon – general, vascular	ST6 + IC	n/a
Inter Lap	Surgeon – any specialty	ST6 + IC	n/a
SSET	Surgeon – general, vascular, thoracic	ST6 + IC + specific expertise: Credible experience of working in trauma	Active DSTS faculty
PERT	Surgeon – trauma, cardiothoracics Emergency Med Physician	ST6 + IC + specific expertise: Credible experience of performing resuscitative thoracotomy	n/a

ST7+

Course	Branch / Specialty	Faculty requirements	Alternative faculty requirements
DSTS	Surgeon – general, vascular	ST7 + IC + specific expertise: Three out of: Work in a major trauma centre Extensive trauma experience (eg. consultant for 5 years in trauma-receiving hospital) Hold a formal trauma fellowship Active military or humanitarian work Verifiable trauma faculty on senior trauma course Have attended DSTS or equivalent as a participant	n/a
DCOTS	Surgeon – orthopaedics, plastics, vascular Anaesthetist	ST7 + attended DCOTS as a participant + clinical lead approval + specific expertise: Credible experience working in trauma and sound knowledge of damage control principles	n/a
STAE	Surgeon – any specialty Obs & Gynae Clinician	ST7 + clinical lead approval + specific expertise: Credible experience working in conflict and/or crisis zones	n/a

Consultant

Course

Branch / Specialty

Faculty requirements

Alternative faculty requirements

TTT

Surgeon – any specialty

Consultant + IC+ specific expertise:

An interest and involvement in training

Educator + IC + specific expertise:

Graduate
Experience of developing and using a range of teaching methods and particularly practical skills in facilitation
Experience of working with people at all levels of seniority

CCrISP Instructor

Surgeon – any specialty

Anaesthetist

Intensive care specialist

Consultant + CCrISP Course director + observation of (or have passed) current edition of Instructor course + IC

n/a

If you are interested in becoming a course director, please see our full eligibility document for criteria.

Process for becoming faculty

This process applies to all courses except ATLS. If you want to become an ATLS instructor, please see our information for ATLS Instructors.

1. Check your eligibility

Download eligibility chart

2. Apply to be RCS faculty

Application form

If you haven’t been involved with RCS England before, we will ask you to register on our website.

3. Sign policy documents

We will send you documents about:

Code of conduct
Intellectual property, Copyright and Media consent
Non-disclosure

Please sign the acknowledgement form and return to edufaculty@rcseng.ac.uk. You are not permitted to teach until you have signed the acknowledgement.

Our Executive Office may also send you documents on GDPR, standing rules and expenses. Please sign and return those to the executive office.

4. Arrange to teach

If you are going to teach at a regional centre, let your course coordinator know you have been approved to teach as an instructor candidate.
If you are going to teach at a Partner centre, we will invite you to teach on an upcoming course as an instructor candidate.

5. Prepare to teach

Familiarise yourself with the course ethos, content and materials:

Your course coordinator will send you any hard copy materials that are available for your course, eg faculty handbook.
We will send you a link to any online resources available. These may include videos and handbooks.
You may want to observe a course in order to understand it better – just ask your course coordinator.

6. Teach as an instructor candidate

Read our guidance for instructor candidates
Speak to the course director before the course, so you know what you will be asked to do.
The course director or co-director will watch you teach and make some notes about your performance.

7. After teaching as an instructor candidate

The course director will discuss your performance with you:

If you did well, they will let us know, and we will give you full faculty status. You need to teach on the course at least every two years to maintain your faculty status.
If they think you aren’t ready to be faculty yet, they will tell you why and give you advice on areas to work on. You may be given an opportunity to try again at a later date.

Useful documents

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Become RCS faculty

Who can become RCS faculty?

Eligibility criteria

Process for becoming faculty

Useful documents

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