Mohammed Talha Bashir
Foundation Year 2 Doctor, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
Introduction
Medical students have limited exposure to ophthalmology (1) and foundation placements in the specialty are rare. Taster weeks give applicants a chance to broaden their experience and make an informed career decision, and the recruiting bodies for ophthalmic specialist training (OST) in the UK have hence allocated weight in the application for the completion of an ophthalmology taster week (2).
However, OST is highly competitive and, while a taster week itself carries 1 point in the application, applicants can use this experience to unlock more opportunities to strengthen their chances of securing a post. The following article explores how those looking to apply for the specialty can get the most out of their taster weeks.
Planning
Only 1% of foundation year 1, and 5% of foundation year 2 doctors carry out taster weeks (3) and this is partly second to their notorious difficulty to organise. Identifying a supervisor whose is able to accommodate you in their schedule and harmonizing a time that also approved by your rota co-ordinator is an arduous process that may take months of trial and error to secure.
For those looking for tasters outside of their trust, this difficulty is amplified amidst slow communication and, in some cases, additional requirements like occupational health clearance and creating an observer ID badge. Successful tasters are organised with regular communication between educational and host supervisors (local or external), as well as local rota-coordinators. Byrne and Nitiahpapand (2020) have written a comprehensive guide for the organisation of a taster week (4).
Aims During the Taster Week
1) Understand the work of the specialty
The primary aim of the taster week should be to gain a realistic expectation of what the specialty entails. Ophthalmology is often touted as relaxed – however an extremely busy outpatient department and a high surgical volume means that ophthalmologists at every stage of training are often faced with an intense workload. It is also a very broad field with many subspecialties, speaking with trainees and consultants across different settings will enable you to better understand the clinical, academic and managerial breadth of the specialty.
2) Develop Your Portfolio
An often-overlooked aspect of taster weeks is the opportunity to directly enhance your portfolio. Firstly, along with the 1 point obtained by completing an ophthalmology taster, by attending 10 eye clinic/theatre sessions doctors can also obtain 1 more point towards the “commitment to specialty” section of the application. Be sure to get a signed letter from the supervising consultant confirming your schedule over the week.
Furthermore, observing clinics/theatres will increase the likelihood of encountering a rare case which can be written up as a case report. Alternatively, consultants and trainees, especially those in tertiary centres, will often have a list of interesting cases which they have not had the time to writeup and will be happy to have someone else do the legwork for them.
Most departments will have ongoing audits to get involved in, and speaking with current trainees can generate further ideas for quality improvement projects for foundation doctors to take the lead in. As ophthalmology is an intensely academic specialty, there will be research carried out by academics and clinicians in most departments. Your supervisor may be able to identify a suitable academic to speak with, or project to be involved with that can continue beyond your taster week.
Finally, if your department has access to an EyeSi surgical simulator, spending some time during the week working through the tasks is an excellent opportunity to experience microsurgery first hand, and is another easy way to obtain a point on the application.
3) Seek advice from current trainees
The best people to advise on applications are current ST1s and ST2s, especially as they will have applied during the COVID-19 pandemic in a format similar to what you will undertake. Clinical and academic trainees will be more than happy look at your portfolio and identify areas for improvement, conduct mock interviews, and be able to advise regarding exam study strategies.
After the Taster Week
After leaving the department, it is important to maintain connections with those that you have met. These colleagues and mentors will be sources of guidance during the application process and throughout your journey as a trainee. Additionally, they can form part of a pool of contacts that can be drawn from if, for example, you are designing an educational course and are looking for tutors, or if you are working on conducting collaborative research. Forming connections is especially important if you are looking to apply to that centre as an academic trainee as it is rare for a candidate to be selected for an academic clinical fellowship that is not already acquainted with the department.
Conclusion
A taster week is an excellent opportunity to experience ophthalmology first hand. For the savvy candidate, it is also a chance to boost the portfolio, gain tips for the application and interview, and form long term personal and professional connections within the specialty.
References
1. Baylis O, Murray PI, Dayan M. Undergraduate ophthalmology education – A survey of UK medical schools. Medical Teacher. 2011 Feb 28;33(6):468–71.
2. Evidence Folder – Severn PGME [Internet]. severndeanery.nhs.uk. [cited 2022 Aug 10]. Available from: https://severndeanery.nhs.uk/recruitment/vacancies/show/oph-st1-2022/evidence-folder-lib
3. Collins J. Foundation for Excellence An Evaluation of the Foundation Programme. London, UK; 2010.
4. Byrne MHV, Nitiahpapand R. How to organise a successful foundation training taster week. Postgraduate Medical Journal. 2020 Apr 28;96(1139):560–3.