August has always seemed like a significant month for trainees. For some, it means the start of a new rotation with all the nervousness and uncertainty that that can bring. For others, it means the end of a job that you may have been doing for six or twelve months and an attempt to get projects finished, leave taken and to tie up all those clinical loose ends. And for those who are not changing jobs, it almost certainly means a series of long days or nights while all the new starters are in induction.
I wanted to take this opportunity to send a virtual wave to you all from the Trainees Committee and especially to welcome those new to paediatrics
Whatever this August has brought you, I wanted to take this opportunity to send a virtual wave to you all from the Trainees Committee and especially to welcome those new to paediatrics. You are joining a team of supportive and hardworking people who know how to have a laugh and will take good care of you. I remember vividly my first day with the bleep in paediatrics and my heart racing every time it went off! Ask lots of questions and get stuck in - you will learn plenty.
It has been a pretty tough few months for all of us and many trainees have been understandably stressed about postponed exams, redeployment and cancelled teaching sessions. Some places have managed to get their regional teaching online, including sim in some cases, and more regions are planning to follow suit. In terms of exams and the START assesment, there are regular updates on the College website and frantic hard work behind the scenes by the Education & Training team to get all the technology in place to run virtual sittings.
As a Trainees Committee, we have been closely involved in discussions about changes to exams, START assessment and ARCP requirements, championing the cause of trainees throughout. Hopefully many of you have seen the training webinars produced by the College on topics including GRID applications and ARCP. There are more planned on everything from exams to ePortfolio so look out for more information this autumn.
Finally, as a Trainees Committee we are keen to demystify the workings of the College and welcome trainee observers to our meetings. The next meeting is on Thursday, 22 October 2020, held virtually. If you're interested in observing, please contact your regional representatives. In the meantime, get in touch if you have questions or suggestions about how we could make training better.
Are you a new trainee? We'd like to to know what you thought of our #ChoosePaediatrics campaign