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It's been a pleasure working with the Anaesthetists in Training Committee and the Bulletin editorial team, but we will soon be handing over the reins to new representatives as we've moved on to start consultant jobs.

So, for our last training issue of the Bulletin, we thought it would be fitting to write about our personal experiences at the end of training and starting our new roles, along with some insight into how to get through the process smoothly.

In previous updates I have written about the changes to our governance which have reshaped our Council and Board of Trustees

Last year the Privy Council approved amendments to the College’s Charter and Ordinances, which enabled us to comply more completely with Charity Commission regulations, manage the College more transparently, and improve our efficiency. As part of our ongoing programme of improvements last summer the College’s governance team circulated a board skills audit to our elected Council members, Trustees and Executive Team. The audit's aim was to identify the skills, experience and knowledge that would most benefit the College over the coming years.

Trustees have responsibilities for the College’s finance and assets, delivery of our charitable objects, developing and implementing College strategy and ensuring legal and regulatory compliance. These are huge responsibilities and having expertise from outside our members’ clinical experience is extremely valuable. Lay trustees are a vital part of the Board of Trustees and directorate boards.

Anaesthetists in training, whatever route they are taking, are the future of our specialty. This is a guiding principle of the College and it cuts across all aspects of our work.

I have always been incredibly impressed by the professionalism, compassion, skill and knowledge of the anaesthetists in training I work with and, as a prospective service user, I can see that the future is bright but that we need to play our part by supporting you to realise that promise.

I hear many positive things from anaesthetists in training, ranging from what you love about the job, to your well-deserved pride in your achievements and your commitment to supporting your patients and colleagues. But I also hear the negative aspects. I hear you when you tell me about training interrupted by the pandemic and the unaddressed trauma from that time. Or how your life and career have been impacted by frequent rotations, exam pressures or difficulty securing a higher training place.

As the season of spring gently unfolds while I write this here in London, there is a sense of renewed fervour for times to come. I have the pleasure of celebrating two ‘New Years’ annually, a uniqueness which I have always appreciated for one reason – however the Gregorian new year starts, I have another to bring optimism, since once again find myself looking ahead to Tamil New Year on 14 April – Puthandu Vazthukal to all those celebrating this.

New chapters of professional life transitioning from one season to another is the subject of an article by Dr Lauren Elliott and Dr Nipun Agarwal, who eloquently detail the range of experiences that come towards the end of training – the consideration of location, colleagues and job plans blends excitement with an understandable anxiety. For those wanting to understand more about navigating this juncture in a career in anaesthesia, I wholeheartedly recommend the College’s Preparing for CCT and beyond podcast series as a supplement to the piece in this edition of the Bulletin.

Authors:

• Dr Rachel Holmes, CT4 ACCS Anaesthetics, Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust
• Dr Suzanne Taylor, Consultant Anaesthetist, Mid-Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust
• Dr Susannah Thoms, Consultant Anaesthetist, Mid-Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust

Society for Education in Anaesthesia UK (SEAUK)

Email Dr Holmes

The 2021 RCoA curriculum states that ‘access to high-quality, supportive and constructive feedback is essential for the professional development of the anaesthetist in training’.¹ So, what do we mean by feedback, and what do we want this feedback to achieve?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines feedback as: ‘advice, criticism or information about how good or useful something or somebody’s work is’, only this is just half of the story. Another definition, relevant to us as trainers and learners, would be: ‘the information sent to an entity about its prior behaviour so that the entity may adjust its current and future behaviour to achieve the desired results’.² In the context of anaesthesia training, information is provided on the gap between a learner’s performance and a standard set by the RCoA, with suggestions on how the gap might be bridged. Self-reflection on any feedback is a vital ingredient to consolidating the learning achieved.

Authors:

• Dr Xiaoxi Zhang, ST6 Trainee, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Dr Helgi Johannsson, Consultant Anaesthetist, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
• Dr Amardeep Riyat, Consultant Anaesthetist, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust
• Dr Roger Sharpe, Consultant Anaesthetist, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust

Email Dr Zhang

Becoming a consultant is a stressful and vulnerable time during a doctor’s career. Negotiating a new identity, taking on ultimate responsibility for patient care, becoming the team leader rather than a team member are all difficult even in the best circumstances, especially when integrating into a new team.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, changing the role from doctor in training to consultant became even more challenging, especially as many hospitals were at that time utterly overwhelmed. We conducted a qualitative analysis of the experiences of anaesthetists and intensivists transitioning to consultant positions during the pandemic,¹ and in this article we want to share the experiences of those doctors who transitioned into their consultant roles during the absolute peak of this global crisis. Their stories offer unique insights on ways of supporting new consultants and highlight the urgent need to improve staff retention and wellbeing in today’s NHS.

Find out the latest appointments approved, and with sadness we record the deaths of some of our fellows. 

Interested in standing for a place on College Council? Self-nominations are currently open for three consultant positions and two positions for anaesthetists in training.

We asked Chris Taylor, Consultant Council member, and Catherine Bernard, Anaesthetist in Training Council member, why they decided to stand in last year’s election, and more.

The NHS is responsible for emissions equivalent to 25 megatonnes of CO₂, approximately 5% of the UK’s carbon footprint.^1,2 Healthcare is key to the UK’s COP26 target to reduce the national environmental footprint, with ambitions for a net-zero NHS by 2040.² Anaesthetic gases are a key contributor of NHS emissions, being responsible for 2% of the total NHS footprint.¹ Pressure to reduce the environmental impact of anaesthesia is therefore growing.