 The annual meeting of the Association of Surgeons in Training was held in Sheffield from 15 to 17 April
The 2011 ASiT Conference saw nearly 500 delegates attending from across the UK and Ireland. The opportunity to meet and socialise with other surgical trainees together with an unforgettable Gala Dinner Party, clinical updates, trainee prize presentations and the chance to question Royal College Presidents and surgical leaders set the scene for a great weekend.
A record number of abstract submissions were received, with 930 from all nine surgical specialties. These were encouraged by the many awards on offer, with over £4,750 in trainee prizes available. All accepted abstracts will be published in Elsevier’s International Journal of Surgery.
Our great value pre-conference courses were heavily oversubscribed, including the Covidien / Storz Core Laparoscopic Skills, SARS / BJS Research Skills Course and ASiT Surgical Teacher Training courses.
The main conference spanned the weekend, opening with contrasting talks around the theme ‘expanding your surgical career’. Mr John Black, President of the RCSEng, and Mr Ian Ritchie, Vice-President of the RCSEd, then represented their respective Colleges in the annual Question Time-style debate with delegates.
Throughout discussions, many common concerns were clear. Re-visiting the European Working Time Directive legislation was seen as a priority, and there was widespread concern regarding the unfavourable ratios of trainees to senior training and Consultant post vacancies. Despite this, trainees were clear that dilution of the CCT or introduction of a ‘sub-consultant’ role would be fiercely opposed.
The Swann-Morton Silver Scalpel Award for Excellence in Surgical Training was awarded to Mr Gavin Pettigrew, Consultant Transplant Surgeon from Addenbrooke’s Hospital. The Gala Dinner Party in Sheffield City Hall Ballroom saw over 200 trainees and guests attend a champagne reception and dinner.
We are deeply indebted to all our speakers, and also our corporate partners who recognise the importance of supporting the ASiT Conference and investing in future generations of surgeons. We particularly acknowledge the support of our corporate partners Ethicon, MPS, Ansell, Covidien, SurgicalSkills.net, Wesleyan and Evident.
To keep up to date on plans for our next conference in March 2012, subscribe to email alerts at http://www.asit.org/.
Ed Fitzgerald, Association of Surgeons in Training
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.asit.org
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
