aspire-post-ccst-fellowship-in-vascular-and-endovascular-surgery

Aspire Post CCST Fellowship in Vascular and Endovascular Surgery

Background

Post-CSCST Fellowship within Ireland offer an alternative to trainees now that our own specialist clinical expertise and services have matured and developed. These Fellowships provide opportunities for those doctors who have completed specialist training in Ireland to access high-quality training in a specialised area of clinical care. They are designed for doctors who need to acquire additional training or experience which was not available on their Higher Specialist Training programme. The additional training provided expose graduates of the Irish postgraduate training programmes to subspecialties and advanced clinical skills.

These 12 month posts offer:

  • A structured educational experience designed to deliver the requirements of a particular subspecialty, not ready available within HST
  • A supervisor with authority and accountability for the fellowship post
  • Opportunities for audit and research
  • An enhanced salary

Aspire Post CCST Fellowships

The HSE has partnered with the Postgraduate Training Bodies to identify, develop, recruit and oversee these 12 month Post CSCST Fellowships. These opportunities will provide formal recognition of the Fellowships by the Postgraduate Training Bodies.

The process of identification of the Fellowship and subsequent recruitment will be managed through the Postgraduate Training Body with input from the HSE.

Aims and objectives

The Aspire Post CSCST Fellowship award aim to:

  • Stimulate the design and introduction of a number of high quality, relevant and valuable post CSCST fellowships that are not only attractive to doctors, but also harnesses the potential for high quality specialist training now available in Ireland
  • Address the need to provide specific post CSCST training opportunities needed for a range of roles and skill sets at consultant level in the Acute Hospital system at present and into the future
  • Encourage innovation and medical leadership
  • Increase retention of post-CSCST fellows
  • Demonstrate that the Irish health system is world class and competitive
  • Produce fellowship-trained consultants with skills tailored to the Irish context with consideration given to available and upcoming consultant posts
  • Provide a more supportive and more diverse training environment for NCHDs
  • Enable higher quality clinical research
  • Encourage hospitals, hospital groups, and research institutions to compete for and support fellows
  • Facilitate NCHDs who do not wish to (or are unable to) travel abroad for fellowship
  • Opportunity to create a fellowship brand, similar to the strength of the Dr Steevens Scholarships (during higher specialist training), for Post CSCST doctors to positively signal to the medical community at home and abroad the quality of opportunity in Ireland

Conditions of the Aspire Post CSCST Fellowship award

  • Approval is provided in respect of fellowships commencing in July 2023
  • All approved post CSCST fellowships must provide a structured certifiable educational experience to doctors who have obtained CSCST from an Irish Postgraduate training body or entered the specialist division of the MCI register within three years.
  • The post CSCST fellowship post must be evaluated and approved by the appropriate training body and have a supervisor assigned, with authority and accountability for the fellowship post
  • Approved Post CSCST Fellowships must demonstrate:
    • An overview of the core curriculum to be offered
    • Details of how the fellowship will protect/prioritise the unique learning requirements of the fellow
    • A quality fellowship experience, protected training time and less of a focus on service delivery commitment
    • Evidence that there will be opportunities for audit and research
    • Details of the value of the proposed fellowship to the health service, for example addressing a particular workforce recruitment, niche area, particular skillset acquisition, obtaining of skills/knowledge that are not available in Ireland at the current time, etc.
  • The duration of the Post CSCST Fellowship should be outlined within the application (funding provided is for 12-month period from July 2022 however it is noted that funding partnerships with host institutions may be developed to allow for 24 month Fellowships – this can only be progressed with the prior agreement of HSE NDTP)
  • The Post CSCST fellowship should align to workforce opportunities.
  • The Post CSCST fellowship must not impinge on the training of pre-CSCST trainees
  • Where appropriate, the fellowships should fulfil training body requirements for Medical Council specialist registration (e.g. Intensive Care Medicine) and HSE employment requirements for consultant posts.
  • Aspire fellows are entitled to apply through the relevant training body for the HSE Higher Specialist Training funding scheme and through their employer for the HSE Clinical Course / Exam Refund Scheme. Both of these programmes are funded by NDTP and accessed through the NER
  • Employers should note that other costs, including on-call costs / other additional payments/ trainers’ grants/ overtime payments etc. are not provided within NDTP funding for this programme.
  • All Aspire fellows sign the NCHD Contract 2010 with the relevant employing authority, and are subject to the terms and conditions of that employment contract.
  • In the event that the Fellow is on any type of leave (including but not limited to statutory leave entitlements such as maternity leave and any non-statutory leave) other than normal holiday leave for any period greater than 4 consecutive weeks or an aggregate period of 6 weeks in any consecutive 52 week period (which leave is referred to in this clause as “the extended leave”) the clinical site or host institution shall notify HSE-NDTP in writing immediately. It is acknowledged that the HSE-NDTP shall suspend payments of the Fellowship until such time as the Fellow’s leave ceases and the Fellow returns to the Fellowship programme.
  • Following a formal request, HSE-NDTP may consider extending the Fellowship period by the period for which the fellow was absent due to the extended leave (other than holiday leave and other than the first 4 weeks of other leave). For the avoidance of doubt, the extension in the Fellowship period referred to in this clause will not result in any increase in the amount of the Fellowship payable. The liability of HSE-NDTP shall remain limited to payment of the amount of the Fellowship as set out above.  The extension provided for in this clause shall therefore involve no extra cost to HSE-NDTP.

Application Process

  • The first step of the process involves designing a quality fellowship proposal.
  • The next step involves engaging with an RCSI to agree the oversight, approval and certification of the fellowship.
  • The third stage involves submitting the completed fellowship proposal to RCSI.
  • For the applications that are awarded the Aspire Post CSCST Fellowships, the final stage involves recruiting a suitable candidate to commence in July 2023

Application deadline 17th June 2022.

Selection Process

The RCSI, working with the HSE, will review the submissions and identify the eligible Aspire Post CSCST Fellowships.

The principal considerations will be:

  • Quality of the fellowship proposed
  • Identified unmet patient need*
  • Specialty and service priorities*
  • The potential benefits to the Irish health service and patients.
  • Consideration should be given to recently approved consultant posts[1].
  • *The Postgraduate Training Body should liaise with the National Clinical Advisory Group Leads (NCAGL’s) National Clinical Programmes (NCP’s) for the specialty (where available) to inform these principle considerations
  • Geographic distribution as relevant to model of care or workforce planning and upcoming consultant posts should also be taken into consideration.

Following confirmation of the available Fellowships the Postgraduate Training Body will oversee a competitive recruitment process to identify incumbents for July 2023.

What is the eligibility criterion for a doctor applying for an Aspire Post CSCST Fellowship?

Doctors eligible to be appointed into one of the fellowships must be within three years of CSCST or entry onto the specialist division of the MCI register in July 2023 and have completed their HST training within an Irish Postgraduate Training Body.

In the case where a candidate has been appointed to the fellowship subject to completion of CSCST sign off from the relevant training body must be obtained

Download the ASPIRE Post CCST Fellowship in Vascular and Endovascular Surgery application form HERE

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