You are 15 minutes away from your own trainer profile on ISCP

Why Bother?

The surgical training landscape is changing, with much talk of professionalising training and trainers, which will mean that being an enthusiastic amateur will no longer be enough.  On top of that, surgical trainee numbers are dropping, which will mean that fewer trainers are needed.  Those with the privilege of a training role must be able to demonstrate they have what it takes:  a commitment to training; evidence of engagement with ISCP; and feedback from others.  Your ISCP Trainer Portfolio is an easy and straightforward way to do all of that

Other benefits. You can:

• Clarify your expectations of trainees coming to work with you.
• By directing new trainees to your profile - assess early, who’s engaged and who isn’t
• Help define your strengths and gaps for development as a trainer.
• Earn points towards fellowship of the Faculty of Surgical Trainers
• Repurpose evidence for your appraisal with minimal effort

How do you do it?

Start now, make some initial entries in just a few minutes, then you can expand or refine later.  Watch this screencast which walks through the process. If you’re short of time…just complete the profile first.  You will see here a terrific example from Navin Furtado a neurosurgeon in Birmingham. 

How can I access feedback on my performance?

• Four invaluable pages of Assessment Summaries capture all your ISCP assessment activity
• Provides evidence of engagement across the breadth of assessment and levels of trainees
• Trainee and Trainer questionnaires gather data about how colleagues and trainees perceive your performance as a trainer
• Areas for reflections allow you to interpret the data collected

There we have it, the trainer area is definitely worth using if you value your role as a trainer.

• Professionalisation of trainers is on the horizon
• Amateur enthusiasts won’t be enough
• You will need evidence
• You need to know your strengths and gaps, so can fill them or work with others who can

It’s easy and straightforward. The return on investment of even an hour, will pay dividends. Then all you have to do is tweak frequently and regularly.

Lisa Hadfield-Law – August 2020