CAREER IN PLASTIC SURGERY
A GUIDE FOR MEDICAL STUDENTS
Surgical Training
Short-Listing Protocols
The BMJ Career article guide written by Patel (1) stated:
Your total score at interview will determine your ranking out of the cohort of candidates. A cut off score will determine whether you are appointable for a locum appointment for training (LAT) job if the score isn’t high enough for a national training number. LAT jobs provide excellent experience at registrar level and give you an advantage for future ST3 applications in that you will be doing a step-up job that is recognised by the specialist advisory committee as a training job at registrar level. In addition, LAT jobs in plastic surgery can be attained only through national selection, so they look good on CVs as they show that you have met the national standard for being appointed.
Results of ranks are released soon after interviews, but the process of matching candidates with jobs is a long one and can take months, particularly if you have been successful in getting a LAT job, so stay calm. Plan B jobs include application for locum appointment for service (LAS) jobs, which are non-training posts; jobs advertised through NHS Jobs or BMJ Careers; or asking for an in-house extension of your current job. There are plenty of opportunities and it’s important to ask people locally and regionally so that you can secure the best option possible for you.
The current short-listing protocols for ST3 from Oriel is:
References
(1) Patel L, Rose V. BMJ Careers: How to get an ST3 national training number in plastic surgery. Link. 2014. (Date accessed: 01/03/2015)
(2) Oriel - Pathway. Plastic Surgery. Link. 2015. (Date accessed: 04/03/2015)