New Trainer Area Now Available

The General Medical Council (GMC) recognises the important role trainers play in providing high quality, safe education and training, as well as the support and resources needed to deliver these effectively. With this in mind, the Faculty of Surgical Trainers (FST) has developed a new set of practical standards. Endorsed by the GMC, these standards aid trainer recognition and accreditation, and underpin a new Trainer Area within the ISCP.

To help trainers meet these standards and gain recognition for their named roles, the new Trainer Area will enable users to collate evidence of knowledge, skills and training activity. It will minimise any extra work involved in attaining and maintaining recognition by capturing the work that trainers already do for trainees and automatically mapping it to the standards.

The Trainer Area mirrors the five-year revalidation cycle and will soon provide a downloadable report of training activity for the annual appraisal as a means of enhancing existing local trust or LETB/Deanery processes.

The Trainer Area contains a number of tools that promote trainer recognition:

• A trainer profile section helps trainers to communicate information about themselves and to showcase their knowledge and skills.
• The assessment summary function automatically collates trainer workplace assessment activity.
• The Multisource Feedback element enables trainers to gather feedback from trainees and peers.
• A reflective notes section provides an easy format to record different types of experience.
• The document library provides a repository for importing documents as further evidence of training activity.
• The trainer dashboard displays an up-to-date summary of evidence uploaded against each standard.
• An additional range of multi-media help guides are available.

The release date for the Trainer Area was Monday 19 February, and an accompanying video guide is now available on the recently-launched JCST YouTube channel. We hope that the Trainer Area will be of support to trainers in improving their training practice and will help to drive quality improvement in surgical education and training.