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TRANSCRIPT
YEAR 4 SSC GUIDE – 2017
CONTENTS
Student and Supervisor Guidance …………..………..…………….……… 3-5Assessment of the SSC ……………………………………………………… 6-7CV Template ….……………………………………………..….…………..….. 8-14 Written Reflective Report and Final Appraisal with Supervisor ……... 15-16
Keele Medical School–Year 4 SSC Guidelines 20172
Student and Supervisor Guidance
This guidance for the Year 4 SSC is offered to both the students and supervisors.
As Year 4 students, you will be starting to apply for your Foundation Posts in just six
months time. This means that at this relatively early stage, even before qualifying,
that you need to start thinking about possible careers pathways. It is hugely
important, and equally hugely difficult, to make the right choice with the very limited
experience that you have had in medicine so far. We hope that the Year 4 SSC will
help you to think about post-graduate specialties and give you more insight about
what you want from your future career.
We want you to make an informed decision when choosing a possible specialty by
building on what you already know from your experiences from observing and
helping with direct clinical care on the wards. What is important to realise however is
that delivering Direct Clinical Care is only part of what a senior doctor does. Perhaps
up to a third of a Consultant’s or GP’s time is not spent with patients but in other
activities such as teaching, management, developing clinical pathways, research and
in lifelong learning. As medical students you will clearly have first-hand experience
of the role of a consultant as a teacher but other consultants will have chosen to be
involved in, and be experts in, hospital management, postgraduate education,
developing clinical services, medical politics, work with the Royal Colleges etc etc.
Senior doctors are also lifelong learners involved in Continuing Professional
Development and Continuing Medical Education and are now facing a future where
they will be required to demonstrate their on-going skills and competency with
regular revalidation throughout the rest of their working lives.
We want students to find out how senior doctors balance their clinical and nonclinical
activities, how they get involved in these areas away from the wards, clinics and
theatres and develop their interests away from direct patient care.
Clearly the path to becoming a senior doctor is just as important and we want the
Year 4 SSC to allow the students to find out about the training in a specific speciality.
We would hope that the students will be able to spend time with the junior doctors on
Keele Medical School–Year 4 SSC Guidelines 20173
the career ladder. We want students to learn about how the junior doctors are
trained, how their teaching is delivered and how they balance it with their clinical
duties and on call. What can the Foundation doctor do to prepare themselves for
specialist post application? Are there specific courses or clinical experiences that
will help their success in job application? Does the specialty require "core training"
first or is there "run-through training"? What is the structure of the collegiate exams
system? How much do the exams cost? What is the pass rate? At what point is
higher specialist training undertaken and what options are there for sub
specialisation? Are there options for dual accreditation and what benefits might that
give a senior trainee? Consult the specialties’ College websites, the Foundation
Programme website and Deanery websites for information as well as asking the
junior doctors and consultants, to get as much insight as possible.
We want the Year 4 students to analyse a particular specialty and get a feel for not
only what it is like to practice medicine in that specialty, but what it is like to be a
trainee and a senior doctor. We want the students to analyse the specialty and also
reflect to determine what it is that attracts them to that particular career. We hope
that the students will be able to have some frank discussions with the doctors on the
teams and undergo personal reflection about lifelong goals balancing life both within
and outside medicine.
We would like the four weeks to be spent undertaking a combination of clinical
experience for the students to practice and extend their skills, but also spending time
specifically with both the senior doctors and junior doctors learning what they do not
just on the wards but away from patient care. If appropriate, if there are nonclinical
activities being undertaken by the doctors (junior or senior) such as teaching,
meetings, management work would it be possible for the medical students to
experience the duties/roles of the clinicians away from patient care? Clearly this
won't always be appropriate/possible, but any insight into what makes up the full job
of a trainee or senior doctor might be very useful to the students considering a
particular career pathway.
We want the student to write their CV during the four weeks, using a template
outlined later, and for this to be reviewed by the supervisor at the end of the
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attachment. Rather than writing the CV to just reflect their current experience as a
medical student, the CV should be completed as though it were being used in an
application for a career post at the end of foundation years. This means that the
student will be able to complete a certain parts of the CV (personal details,
experiences and qualifications to date) but clearly there will be significant parts of the
CV that the student will not have any material for at this stage. The idea is that the
student will complete these domains with "indicative content" -- experiences in
activities which they should strive to achieve during their early postgraduate clinical
experience in order to enhance their CV when applying for posts as they aim to enter
higher specialist training. We hope that by having this "aspirational" CV students will
then have a plan to maximise their experiences and therefore maximise their CV
when applying for jobs later on. Advice on how to fill in the CV is given later but
hopefully the student will also use the experiences of the junior doctors and
consultants when selecting material to complete their CV. The CV does need to be
completed for all SSCs, regardless of different specialty application requirements.
Keele Medical School–Year 4 SSC Guidelines 20175
Assessment of the SSC
The assessment for the Year 4 SSC is divided into three parts:
1. The standard assessment of attendance/professionalism. Satisfactory
attendance, punctuality and engagement are prerequisites for any attachment
at any point during undergraduate training including the SSCs. At this stage
we would not expect there to be any issues in these areas and hope that this
part of the assessment will be a formality. Any unauthorised leave can lead to a failed SSC, resulting in re-sitting the whole SSC during 5 th year electives. Students are strongly advised to inform the Medical School about their absence in case of an unplanned or unexpected event as soon as possible.
2. The second area of assessment is a personal reflective piece written by the
student analysing the career aspect of the specialty to which they have been
attached. This will be a piece of approximately 2000 words describing various
aspects of the specialty that they have observed and make a personal
reflection on how the attachment has informed them as to their suitability for
that particular specialty and vice versa. Hopefully the SSC will allow the
student to reflect on many aspects of the specialty from the point of view of
both trainees and senior doctors, show insight into training within a specialty,
life as a consultant and activities that are undertaken away from direct patient
care. The assessment of this reflective piece will take place in an appraisal
meeting between supervisor and student at the end of the attachment.
Provided that the student demonstrates in this appraisal that they have used
the attachment to gain a proper insight into the specialty and have engaged
properly and honestly in the reflective process then the assessment will be
graded as a "pass". In most cases the four-week attachment will hopefully
confirm the students’ interest in a particular specialty but it is entirely expected
that some students will conclude that a particular specialty is not for them.
This is an entirely acceptable and valid outcome for the SSC -- passing or
failing the attachment does not depend on whether or not the student finally
concludes that a particular specialty is for them!
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3. The CV that the student completes will not be subject to assessment -- it is
expected that the students will use the attachment to become as informed as
possible in order to complete a competent and useful model CV using advice
from both the trainee doctors and senior doctors. Where there are inevitable
gaps in experience (such as audit and research) these should be filled in with
indicative content (which I suggest is done in italics to differentiate it from
actual information/experience that the student already has). It is hoped that at
the end of this month of reflection about future careers that the students will
be able to write a well thought out Personal Statement that would encapsulate
their thoughts about their future careers (and lives!). Hopefully the students
will seek advice from both junior and senior doctors when completing their
CVs and at the final meeting with their supervisor, the CV will be reviewed
and suggestions made for further improvements and advice about suitable
future experiences/activities to enhance the CV post qualification.
Whilst the assessment of this SSC may appear less demanding than in other
areas, a well-written and well thought out CV (with targeted intended future
content and a well-constructed personal statement) and a focused career-
orientated reflective piece will require considerable investigation and analysis
by the student over the four-week attachment.
Keele Medical School–Year 4 SSC Guidelines 20177
Keele University School of Medicine
CV template
The following is a template that we hope will give you some idea how to structure a
CV. Although anonymous application forms are very common in job applications, a
formal CV is also required on occasions. Another advantage in developing your own
CV is that the template will show you areas where you may need development;
completing a preliminary CV as part of the Year 4 SSC is for you to get an idea of
the various domains that you need to show achievement in such as experience in
teaching, management, audit etc. At this stage you may have little or no experience
in some of these areas but by thinking about your future career pathways you can
set goals for not only generic skills and competencies but career-specific
experiences to enhance your CV.
.
The advice is based on a national consultation carried out by a member of the
careers team that led to a Deanery training package. This template is designed to be
used by junior doctors but we want you at the end of your fourth year of medical
training to use this template to write your own CV with a combination of things that
you have already done but also to get you thinking what you would like your CV to
look like in two or three years time when you are coming to the end of your
foundation jobs and are applying posts in specific career specialties. We hope you
find this template a useful guide.
General hints and tips
Use an easily legible font (at least 12pt) and consider double spacing. Do not
use “fancy” fonts or colours. Break up text with paragraphs.
Your spelling and grammar must be good. This applies also to your
application forms. It is sensible to check it several times yourself and then ask
a friend if they will do so as well. Do not use abbreviations, text speak or
similar. This is a high stakes document.
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Keep separate topics on separate pages
As your CV grows, consider an index
Use good quality paper for printing and avoid poor photocopies
Keep an electronic copy in at least 2 locations and update regularly. Consider
keeping a copy in your e-mail inbox to access in emergencies.
Think of your CV as a “live” document – record not only your current
experiences and what you have already achieved but set out your career
aspirations as objectives to aim for you progress through your clinical posts.
Keep refining your Personal Statement as you find out more about yourself
and your career ambitions.
Keele Medical School–Year 4 SSC Guidelines 20179
Page One
This page should include your personal information. Traditionally, this has included
many items including date of birth, nationality, etc. However, it can be argued that
much of this is irrelevant and indeed contrary to Equality legislation. However, it
would seem sensible as a minimum to put your name, contact address and
telephone numbers on this page.
Page Two
Use this for your educational qualifications. Once you have your basic medical
degree, you should not bother listing your A levels or equivalent (at least not for a
medical post). This is also the section to list relevant postgraduate training courses
(for example Advanced Life Support).
You need to add the year of award and the awarding body (e.g. Keele University or
Resuscitation Council UK).You must be able to produce a certificate for any
qualification you list-it is normal to verify these at interview. Do not list “non-
assessed” courses here unless very significant and you have an attendance
certificate.
When completing your Year 4 CV, think what courses you would need to have
attended or would look good on your CV when you come to apply for a career post.
Ask the junior doctors what courses they are doing during their clinical posts and
discuss with the consultants what they might expect to see on your CV when you
come to apply for a post in their specialty.
Page Three
This is the page for your medical posts. If you are producing this CV before you are
employed, a short description of your medical education can go here along with any
relevant work experience.
For clarity, a list of posts with dates is helpful. Research has shown most doctors
reading these would prefer to see your current post first and then all others
chronologically (NOT in reverse). Do explain any career breaks - this is very
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important. Do not hide any gaps in employment as they will be noticed – it could
mean not get shortlisted or having to clarify your employment history at interview.
Initially when you have only had one or two jobs, you may want to write a short
description of your responsibilities under each. As you have more experience, simply
write a list and then summarise your clinical experience, on a new page if needed.
During your SSC think about how particular Foundation Programmes offer different
ranges of clinical experience. Most foundation posts offer very similar clinical
attachments but there are differences. For instance, if you want specifically to be
radiologist or an anaesthetist, there may be Foundation rotations that offer
experience in radiology or anaesthesia. Applying such post would not only give you
experience to confirm your interest in a particular specialty but also look very good
on your CV and at interview when you are come to apply for a career post. Find out
from the junior doctors and the consultants what sort of posts will give you the right
clinical experience for your particular career area.
Page Four
Use this page for your experience of Audit, Teaching and Research. These are all
areas you must expand and in time they may need a page each. Initially one page
with subheadings is fine.
Under Audit, indicate which audits you have been involved in. If you can, indicate
which you initiated and which closed an audit cycle as this is significant.
Under Teaching, list formal and informal teaching you have undertaken and to what
groups of people (lay, nursing, paramedical, other medical, etc). In due course add
your “teaching training” experience (e.g. training the trainer courses, instructor
courses).
You may not be a major researcher but everyone should be able to demonstrate how
to use research information and how to analyse the literature. You should include
posters at conferences, presentations, etc here.
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For the purposes of the Year 4 SSC make sure that you put down each of these
headings and give details of any relevant experience that you have in each of these
domains. If there is heading for which you have little or no relevant experience (and
for many of you this would be quite normal at your stage of undergraduate training)
think of what you would like your CV to look like at the end of your Foundation Posts
when you are applying for your Core Training or Specialist Training posts.
It is important for all of you to carry out good quality audit during your Foundation
Posts but if your audits are related to your intended career specialty it will look even
better on your CV. Write on your CV template the sort of audits that you would like
to carry out to help develop your particular specialist interest and you can use this
"indicative content" on your CV later to guide you to make the best use of your
involvement in these areas. Once you have started to gain experience in audit you
can put these achievements into your CV and then set new goals in the Audit
section. It is important not only to very briefly describe your audit but to state clearly
what your involvement was, what the outcome of the audit was and what specifically
you learned from your involvement - was it in the design, data collection, data
interpretation, writing up or presentation of the audit?? -- You will specifically be
asked these sorts of questions both on job application forms and at interview.
As with Audit, many of you will not have the opportunity to carry out meaningful
Research yourselves during your early clinical posts but you should aim to have at
least some involvement, perhaps with the more senior trainees on your firms, helping
with case reports or posters, or presenting at a local or regional meetings. At this
stage complete your CV with "aspirational" aims, where possible linked in with your
intended career specialty. You should not only record these goals such as "Aim to
submit a case report to a paper or e-journal" or "Present at a local/regional specialty
meeting" but also give a brief description of how you will make this happen. As with
the audit section, once you have achieved these goals, not only describe the
research that was undertaken, but state what your involvement was and what
specifically you learned from that involvement.
Use the Year 4 SSC attachment to ask questions of the junior doctors and
consultants about how to get involved in areas like Audit, Research and Teaching.
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See how the junior doctors on your firm do audit, what teaching they do and what
involvement in research they have and use this to help guide your objectives when
you are a junior doctor.
Page Five
You can use this page for two very important issues-your personal interests and your
personal statement. This is the page that gives a sense of your individuality so it is
very crucial.
Many interviews are very structured these days but if your interviewers are left any
freedom then asking about your pursuits, especially if unusual, is an obvious target.
Probably even more important is the “personal statement” perhaps more correctly
thought of as “why I want this post” It is crucial that this part at least is tailored
specifically to the post for which you are applying. Look at the person specification
and job description. Think about how your experience to date qualifies you for this
post. Explain how you see the post fitting in with your training needs or career
aspirations. Is there anything special you can bring to it? (remember everyone says
they are hardworking , a team player , etc which gets tedious to read after a
while……). It is worth investing time in this section.
Your medical student experiences are very relevant on your CV as a junior doctor.
Your basic medical training will be very similar to everybody else's but your
experiences in your Year 3 and Year 4 SSCs, and in your final year electives are
very relevant and personal to you and make you stand out from others when you
make your job applications. Your Year 3 SSC in histopathology may seem
insignificant four years later when you are applying for your specialist registrar post
in pathology, but that SSC will demonstrate your long interest and experience in that
specialty and make an impact on your CV compared to others.
Your Year 4 SSC will hopefully help you decide what it is that attracts you to a
particular career and give you an idea of what will help you maximise successfully
getting a career post if you decide to pursue it.
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Page Six
This is for your referees. You need to supply contact details of as many referees as
requested, two or three being the norm. It is worth noting that it may be questioned if
you do not provide your current supervisor as a referee. Also, it is important that you
ask your chosen referees if they will provide a reference. To not do so may be seen
as ill-mannered at the very least and may mean a reference is not supplied. Please
do not leave this until the last minute as your referee is likely to need ample warning
especially as most posts are now appointed simultaneously.
Good luck!
Summary of contents for CV
Personal detailsQualificationsJobs/clinical experienceAudit/teaching/researchInterests/personal statementReferees
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Written reflective report and final appraisal with supervisor
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The reflective piece should be clearly structured and firstly demonstrate that the student has engaged with the aim of exploring a particular specialty as a potential career pathway. During the four weeks the student will have been given ample opportunity to experience the day-to-day activities of both senior and junior members of the clinical team and hopefully will have used the time to learn as much as possible about the training as a junior doctor and the activities, both clinical and nonclinical, of the senior clinician.
The reflective report should therefore contain a certain amount of factual material about the training pathways within a subspecialty (how training is delivered, the collegiate examination system and other requisite training requirements etc) and demonstrate insight into the role of the senior clinician not only involved in direct clinical care but also in nonclinical supporting activities. Anecdotal observation and perhaps comparison with other clinical specialties may well be included.
Secondly the student must demonstrate true reflection; going beyond a mere description of the specialty and the training pathway, and demonstrate reflection/insight into why they feel the specialty may or may not be suitable for them and hopefully to explore the particular reasons for this.
For the first part of the reflective piece the student must demonstrate that they have gained a good insight into a specialty/career pathway. Clearly a student who has gained no insight/knowledge during the four weeks would not be deemed to be satisfactory within this area. Where there are areas which the supervisor feels the student has failed to demonstrate insight into a particular aspect, the supervisor will need to explore during the appraisal meeting whether this reflects that the student has a) failed to learn about a particular area, b) has a genuine misperception (which the supervisor can discuss) or c) there are difference of opinion between the supervisor and student -- this latter option is perfectly acceptable and will potentially be the most valuable areas to the student in the career-informing process. The obvious hope is that the student will not only be analysing a specialty but also analysing themselves -- what are their clinical interests?, what are their strengths and weaknesses?, do particular aspects of their personality lend themselves towards certain training pathways and long-term career interests?Suggested topics in the Reflective Report:
1. Why I chose this particular attachment/specialty.
2. A description of the training pathway
a. Life of a junior balancing training and service work
b. How is training delivered?
c. The Collegiate exam system and CCT accreditation
d. Other necessary experience, research etc
e. Subspecialisation opportunities
3. What did I learn that I didn’t know before about a) being a junior trainee and b) working as a consultant? Did I learn anything that I wasn’t expecting?
4. Why might this particular specialty be suitable/ unsuitable for me?
5. What have I learned about what I want from my medical career?
Keele Medical School–Year 4 SSC Guidelines 201715
Provided that the written submission and the final appraisal meeting between supervisor and student indicate that the student has successfully learned about a particular specialty and has genuinely undertaken reflection about whether a particular career is suited to them (and vice versa) then student will have filled the criteria for a pass. Given the ample opportunities that the student will have to interact with both junior and senior clinicians and the fact that the students are already well-versed in undertaking reflection, we would envisage that passing this element of the assessment would be very straightforward to the vast majority of students.Curriculum vitae
The expectation is that the student will submit a well thought out CV with content reflecting both their actual experiences but also showing indicative aspirational content in keeping with someone applying for a core or specialist training post at the end of their two Foundation years. We would hope that the indicative content shows insight and is aligned to maximise the student’s success in applying for post-Foundation training. Indicative content should therefore not just be "I need to do an audit" but show more specific planning relating to a particular audit aligned to a potential career pathway. The student will be expected to have used the four-week attachment gaining help from both juniors and consultants in compiling their CV. There is no assessment tariff attached to the CV -- the students will hopefully realise the huge opportunity that the SSC will give them to start thinking about their CVs and will have maximised the opportunities available in researching and writing themThe student should liaise with the supervisor and agree when the written reflective report and the CV should be submitted
during the final week -- preferably 48 hours or so before the final meeting between the supervisor and student so that the
supervisor will have had the chance read and consider the student submissions. The final meeting between students and
supervisor should discuss and evaluate the reflective report and then review the student’s CV -- highlighting strengths and
areas for potential improvement to is due to future activities in their final year and foundation years to build a strong a CV
as possible.
The student will automatically fail the SSC if an attendance grade of <3 is given.
Keele Medical School–Year 4 SSC Guidelines 201716