On-line Links for SAS Doctors
In September 2018, the Secretary of State committed to working with the BMA SAS Committee to reform the SAS contract and agreed to reopen a reformed Associate Specialist (AS) grade to extend career development for those doctors.
The preparatory work on these reforms identified a strong feeling that the newly reformed grade must be aligned with a strategy for reform to the whole SAS grade; the aim being to improve morale, provide support for career development and define a structured career pathway.
The links below should help you navigate through the newly-introduced processes which underpin these reforms.
The SAS Charter (last updated Sep 2020)
The SAS charter was created by the BMA and NHS employers to help SAS doctors with their development, and to provide opportunities in their workplace. In collaboration with NHS Employers, Health Education England and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the BMA published the SAS charter for England in 2014. The BMA has since adapted the SAS charter for all other UK nations. The information provided includes:
- How to implement the charter (with links specific to individual nations)
- SAS charter resources (including checklists & toolkits for England & Wales)
- Further resources from NHS Employers (linked to the SAS Doctor Development Guide)
- SAS progression guidance (including thresholds, gathering evidence & mediation/appeals)
Click here to view the SAS Charter information
The SAS Contract (last updated Jan 2021)
This guidance covers the terms and conditions of the Staff, Associate Specialists and Specialty Doctors contract 2008, for all nations and gives example of model contracts. It also offers the terms and conditions of contracts pre-2008.
From April 2008, a new "Specialty Doctor" grade was introduced, followed by a contract for Specialty and Associate Specialist (SAS) doctors. The information provided includes the terms and conditions of service for both Associate Specialists and Specialty Doctors in all the home nations.
The information provided includes:
- Terms & conditions of service specific to individual nations
- Model contracts specific to individual nation
- Additional online resources
Click here to view the SAS Contract information
GMC Speciality-Specific Guidance
This guidance is to help doctors who are applying for entry on to the Specialist Register with a CESR in Urology against the 2021 CCT curriculum.
You should also see the information below about the 2021 Urology Curriculum.
Click here to read the GMC guidance
JCST Certified Guidelines & Checklists *
Each of the Specialist Advisory Committees has produced a set of certification guidelines to identify what a trainee will normally be expected to have achieved during their training programme.
These cover all aspects of training - clinical and operative experience; operative competency; research; quality improvement; and management & leadership.
Click here to view the JCST guidelines/checklists
* From August 2021, there will be a new curriculum (see below). Further information is available on the ISCP website.
The 2021 Urology Curriculum
From 4 August 2021, surgical training will become outcomes-based. Trainees will be assessed against the fundamental capabilities required of Consultants.
The SAC requires that all evidence submitted for consideration needs to be recent (within the last 6 years) and verified by a Consultant (who will also requires verifiication by the GMC). In practice, anyone applying for CESR probably needs to pass the FRCS Urol examination, otherwise it can prove difficult to sign off a full knowledge assessment of knowledge.
The end of training will be reached when supervisors agree that a trainee is performing at the level of a day-one Consultant i.e. successfully managing unselected emergency takes, clinics and wards, operating lists and multi-disciplinary working, while demonstrating the generic professional behaviours required of all doctors.
Click here to download the 2021 Urology Curriculum
JCST CESR Guidance for Applicants (last uodated Jan 2021)
Applications are now referred to as Certificates of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESRs). Previously, the legislation governing equivalence was Article 14 of the PMETB Order, hence these applications were known as Article 14 applications.
PMETB was subsumed by the GMC in 2010, and the legislation was formally incorporated into the Medical Act.
Click here to download the guidance for CESR applicants
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Questions which have arisen, either by direct submission to the SAS Doctors Section or following SAS webinars, podcasts & newsletters, will be posted and answered here.
There are no FAQs at the moment ... but keep checking back.
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