Interview with clinical leads

Over the summer, we welcomed three new clinical leads to support the redevelopment of three critical programmes. We asked them some questions about their role, the difference they want to make and their visions for the future.

Trish Boorman, Clinical Lead Emerging Leaders
Sunjay Jain, Clinical Lead Training the Trainers
Ian Maheswaran, Clinical Lead START and CCrISP

1. How and why did you become Faculty?

Sunjay: I have always been interested in training and education. As soon as I became a consultant I took up roles as an educational supervisor and subsequently college tutor. I very much recognised the importance of good quality training and sought those college courses that could offer this.

Ian: A similar story for me really. Training and education have always been a keen interest. I was inspired by a great trainer and I wanted to give that to upcoming generations of surgeons. As registrar, I undertook a part time Masters degree in Surgical Education and becoming faculty was perfect for improving my teaching and education skills and translating the theory into practice.

Trish: I was fortunate to have been a fellow on the previous Lady Estelle Wolfson fellowship and had gained a huge amount from it enabling me to take on more leadership roles with greater confidence. Having read the Kennedy report I was really excited about the programme and what could be done to improve it and offer it out to those who would benefit most from it.
 

2. What did you learn from your early days as a member of Faculty?

Ian: You are made to feel part of the RCS faculty family and that your time, help and expertise is valued. Its also a really safe space to grow as an educator and leader and progress your career. You can do as little or as much of it as you want. You are also constantly learning from those around you including the participants, it is great for networking and it offered a really enjoyable change from the day job.

Sunjay: The first thing that struck me was how the Training the Trainers course was very much a course for surgeons. The way it was designed; the different modules all complemented each other and were very relevant to surgical training. I was able to build up my confidence and became involved in teaching all the modules, including those traditionally delivered by the educators.

Trish: It is still very early days for me but I am delighted to say that I am supported by a fantastic team at the college. It has been great to talk through ideas and exchange views. I am able to draw on the huge amount of expertise they have yet they still seem to value my opinions and ideas and together we are working to take these forward to hopefully produce a fantastic new inclusive and diverse emerging leaders programme.
 

3. How do you see your role as clinical lead in terms of College Leadership?

Trish: I see it as extremely important to ensure the new Emerging Leaders programme is at the highest standard possible and that it reaches those who will benefit most from it so that they will be able to use what they learn to take their own leadership careers forward.

Ian: Education leadership translates into College leadership as education is one of the core functions of the college. If we get this right the rest will follow. The ability to work with the Council to shape the future and embed the learning strategy will impact college leadership. It was only recently that I have a stopped having a pavlovian tachycardia when getting off at Holborn tube station related to coming up to the College for the MRCS examination. I remember seeing the college in this examination role but it has so much more to offer in its wonderfully renovated building.

Sunjay: Having started the role and met members of the educational leadership team it is clear to me that there are a wealth of resources in terms of re-developing and delivering courses going forward. Looking at the Emerging Leaders programme , START and CCrISP, training for surgeons has evolved significantly over recent decades and I can see this continuing through College’s ambitious aims, which I was thrilled to hear about. I see my role as ensuring that the courses remain relevant to what surgeons need in day to day clinical practice.
 

4. What are you looking forward to most?

Ian: It is definitely updating CCrISP to the 5th Edition. Whilst I am looking forward to this the most, I know it will be the largest challenge of my tenure and possibly become a labour of love, but I have a great team supporting the project who I am looking forward to working with.

Trish: For me, this is a golden opportunity to relaunch and influence Emerging Leaders, ensuring that it is both educational and clinically relevant to those who participate. Alongside that, I have the opportunity to work with the hugely talented team from the learning and education department at the College plus my two clinical lead colleagues, Ian and Sunjay.

Sunjay: I am keen to work together with other surgeons and educational experts as part of the working groups to come up with some really great ideas as we enhance the Training the Trainers course. Many aspects of the course are already excellent and won’t need altering, but some will need changing, some will need removing and, of course, there will be content that needs to be added. We have a rich diversity of individuals, too many to mention, who are contributing to the development and I look forward to working with them.
 

5. What difference do you want to make for participants, their patients and the surgical profession?

Sunjay: Ultimately everything we do as doctors and surgeons is about our patients. With this course the aim is to ensure surgical trainers have the skills and knowledge to ensure that the next generation of surgeons is inspired to be the best. Covid has seen a reduction in surgical activity and along with reduced working hours this has negatively impacted upon training. In order to ensure that trainees get best experience - it is vital that those training them have the skills to make the most of every training opportunity.

Trish: I want participants to build leadership skills and grow confident to use them in their local hospitals as well as at the College so that their patients and the surgical profession benefit from a talented and diverse surgical profession.

Ian: I really want to empower surgical teams of the future with the skills to look after their patients to an outstanding standard of care through cutting edge education and an enhanced learner experience. Surgery can be a steep learning curve at times and I want to flatten that and make it feel more controllable, structured and safe for all concerned. The pressure across the NHS is palpable and embedding practice and techniques to support better patient care is an important backbone of providing a safe surgical service.
 

6. How will you be embracing the College’s Diversity Review and Diversity Action Plan through this role?

Ian: I welcome it and these are steps in the right direction. It will take time to get there and there may be bumps in the road but I am privileged to be part of the journey and be in a position to influence it. There will be opportunities with faculty development, launching START 3rd edition and re-writing CCrISP for a 5th edition to action many aspects and also appeal to wider, global audience.

Sunjay: I agree and will be focusing on two aspects to support diversity and inclusion. Firstly, I want to make all surgeons feel that Training the Trainers is relevant to them and that they can access in a way that suits them. This will mean looking at things like remote delivery alongside face to face. It may also mean splitting the activities into modules to allow greater flexibility. The work around Parents in Surgery will help to inform our thinking and development of such an accessible offer. Alongside that, we should emphasise the need to recognise and embrace diversity in training.

Trish: The Kennedy report praised the original Emerging Leaders but acknowledged that it could be improved and should be relaunched with those improvements. I want to ensure that whilst it is aimed at supporting women, it is as diverse as possible within this group and reaches those who will benefit the most from it. I agree with Sunjay that the work around Parents in Surgery will help to support all of our trainees and enable their development into the surgical leaders of the future.
 

7. What is your aspiration for the programme/s beyond your tenure?

Trish: I would like it to be cemented into the programme of opportunities offered by the College going forward with a strong alumnae to provide ongoing help, support and mentorship to women in the future. I’d like to think we may even be able to develop it as a global offer so that we can benefit women in surgery from other countries enabling learning opportunities for both sides.

Sunjay: I think the best courses continually evolve in small increments and I hope that there will be a regular and continuous review. I am keen to see the course increase its reach and, as with Trish, this includes the potential for global delivery.

Ian: I want to leave them in a strong position for further improvement and would like to be an ear for future clinical leads. My desired personal legacy is to develop a successor to take the programmes forward. I agree with Trish and Sunjay about the global offer. I want to see both courses flourishing, with START delivered to all F1s and CCrISP to all CTs as well as the wider surgical team.
 

8. How do you think that this role will impact upon your career as a surgeon and a member of RCS England Faculty?

Trish: This is a very exciting opportunity for me to continue to develop my own leadership skills and perhaps use them into the future as faculty in other areas. I also look forward to working with Ian and Sunjay, learning from them in terms of the work they are leading. There will also be some fantastic faculty members and participants that I can learn from.

Ian: There is no doubt it will be enhanced. I am really looking forward to working with the other clinical leads, faculty, candidates and the professional education faculty in a national role. The sharing of ideas, learning from each other and different ways of doing things, as I suspect there will be a lot of cross cutting themes across the portfolio of programmes. It will be rewarding and translational into my other roles.

Sunjay: I want to reiterate what my two colleagues have already said. I am really looking forward to working with surgeons and educationalists with different experiences and views - I am sure I will learn a lot from them. I am sure this will translate into my own skills as a trainer and improve them. I am really looking forward to working with the team at the College and hope that this role will be a springboard to further collaborations.
 

9. What advice would you give to those thinking of becoming a member of Faculty?

Sunjay: Naturally, I would say go for it. While there is a time commitment, the fulfilment from seeing how those attending the courses develop and improve is well worth it. There is no doubt that it will also improve your own skills.

Trish: It will be a very rewarding and fulfilling experience with opportunities to really make a difference and would encourage them to consider taking on a role

Ian: Do it. You will not be disappointed. It is a really rewarding experience and I hope that one of you reading this will be a clinical lead of the future. Its never too early and neither too late to start your faculty journey. Educating future surgeons and the wider surgical team is the legacy we all can leave behind no matter where we are in our career.