Key Contacts
Genevieve Booth, Paediatrics ST2 KSS (genevieve.booth@nhs.net)
KSS Paediatrics Trainee Committee (heksstrainees@gmail.com)
Introduction
Each year the KSS Paediatrics Trainee Committee designs and organises the induction day for new ST1s entering the deanery. For the first time in 2017 we decided to accompany the face to face induction with a written guide for our new starting ST1s, with information on as many aspects of training as possible, and a particular emphasis on what to expect and what to accomplish in ST1 – a challenging time for many trainees, especially those with limited experience and confidence in paediatrics. We wanted the guide to be optimistic, fun and simple to navigate and understand. Each year the induction pack is updated and expands, and will hopefully become more than an induction pack and mould into a trainee led guidance document for paediatric trainees at all levels within KSS.
SMART Objectives
Chiefly our objective was to create a thorough guide to starting a career in paediatrics within KSS, that would adequately prepare and reassure new starting ST1s and serve as a future reference point for frequently asked questions. We wanted the guide to be flexible enough to update and expand in future with current working links to useful resources. We specifically wanted the guide to feel and sound as though it was coming from other trainees, and to be based on experience as well as dry facts. The guide would have to be readable, encouraging and humorous.
We were going to measure the guide’s success on the feedback we received, and whether there are still questions unanswered by it.
The project was always attainable as there are so many resources (both written, and in our colleagues’ experiences and wisdom) available to paediatric trainees; it’s just a matter of taking the time to put those resources together in one place and making them accessible.
Relevance to paediatric ST1s was always paramount, but we hope that as the induction pack evolves, it can be expanded to have relevance to all paediatric trainees within KSS, and that the information within it may form an integral part of our trainee led website (currently in development).
The clear deadline for the ST1 induction pack was in time for the ST1 induction – and the same is true of the updated version we are producing this year!
Progress
The 2017 Induction Pack was well received by those trainees who read it. We were given lots of informal positive feedback on its readability and the usefulness of the content. I’ve learnt such a lot about the structure of training and processes that occur within KSS school of paediatrics from putting it together, and that knowledge has helped me in my role within the committee when answering queries from trainees of all levels. It has also given us a great starting point for the content of the KSS paediatrics trainee website which is in development.
The main learning point is that we need to disseminate the induction pack more, and continue to share and make it accessible throughout the year. Otherwise it risks being lost amongst a dozen other documents handed out at induction. With the 2018 update we will be sharing on social media, and incorporating the information into a website which will hopefully reach a wider readership that can actively engage with its development. As expected, with another year of changes to the administration within the deanery we have plenty to update in the 2018 version; as well as brand new sections.
Take Home Message
Trainees can create valuable and flexible resources for one another that may be shorter, easier and more fun to read than official “top down” resources and documents. Creating resources for one another generates a sense of community and mentorship that is good for the morale of those disseminating the guidance as much as for those receiving it. With KSS deanery going through a very difficult transition period this year which has affected feedback, communication and administration; clear information that is easy to access is more important than ever for trainees.
Resources
RCPCH Website
KSS Paediatrics Trainees Website (in development)
KSS Paediatrics School Website
Postgraduate Training Gold Guide 2016
The collective experiences of the KSS Paediatrics Trainee Committee!