Medical School Champions

ABS has started to develop a network of breast surgeons & trainees who will work closely with medical schools to promote a career in Breast Surgery and support medical students, foundations & core surgical trainees in organising educational events.

The aim of this initiative is to create a national network of consultant breast surgeons and senior breast trainees who will become actively involved with their local medical schools to promote breast surgery as a career and relevant ABS events suitable for undergraduate and early postgraduate trainees.

Structure

We aim to develop 2 Medical School Champions, a consultant and senior breast trainee for each of the Medical schools in the UK, or for a group of Medical schools where they are geographically close.

 An ABS Medical School Champion (MSC) would be an enthusiastic ABS member who would initiate and co-ordinate educational events for predominantly undergraduate medical students, but inclusive of foundation & core surgical trainees. The MSCs will develop links with the Royal College of Surgeons of England undergraduate surgical societies, participating in their educational programme where one is established, or become a “go to mentor” for undergraduate students wanting advice on breast surgery training or a career in breast surgery. They would become familiar with initiatives such as RCS Future Surgeons Forum (FSF) and other UK Collegiate medical student networks such as RCS Surgical Societies

The MSCs would decide how best to deliver this initiative locally using established links with local commercial companies to sponsor events they have organised.

Examples of events would include:

• Skills workshops (scrubbing, knot tying, suturing)
• Specialty talks
• Anatomy lectures/cadaveric labs
• Career Talks
• CV/Portfolio development
• Social Events for networking
• Guest Speaker evenings
• Participating in local Student Surgical Conferences
• Participating in local Surgical Career Fairs

Promotion of events can take place through the ABS Calendar, ABS Educational & Training Network and social media (ABS and FSF, BFAS). Feedback from events can be shared in the Educational & Training Network and an MSC article submitted to the ABS Yearbook.

Establishing the network of MSCs would be overseen by the ABS Education & Training Committee & ABS Regional Representatives. Applications can be submitted through the ABS Office, please find the form at the end of this page. Term of role would be minimum 3 years.

For further information about the ABS Medical School Champtions contact Margarita Bartholomew at mbartholomew@absgbi.org.uk or 020 7869 6853