SAS doctors and dentists – by which we mean, Specialty, Specialist grade, Associate Specialist, and Staff grade – are an important and much relied upon group of doctors and dentists. In terms of their skills, experience, backgrounds, and career aspirations, they are a hugely diverse group.
Many SAS doctors work independently, running their own clinics and operating lists. They have developed themselves as specialists in a niche area of practice, providing specialist services in secondary care and accepting referrals from GPs, members of multi-disciplinary teams and consultant colleagues. Many are also recognised as mentors, educators, trainers, appraisers, researchers, and leaders in the NHS. Some have advanced as national leaders in medical education (e.g., as SAS tutors or associate postgraduate deans), and others have focused on advocating for the SAS workforce within the NHS (e.g., SAS advocates, SAS leads). They have proven that all deserve the opportunity to develop professionally and grow their careers to reach their potential. Given an opportunity, their flourishing careers can be a huge asset to the NHS.
We believe that SAS surgeons should be respected and acknowledged for the contributions they make to the surgical team, the College and the profession and that their opportunities for doing so should be enhanced. We have looked inwardly at the ways the College engages with SAS surgeons and the opportunities available to them – see Get involved. In addition, we launched a project, SAS surgeons: unlocking the potential in 2022, to look outwardly into the workplace and engage not just SAS surgeons and dentists but also SAS doctors in non-surgical specialties, national leaders, employers, and medical workforce leaders, with the aim to have a wider understanding of issues relevant to the SAS workforce and deliver an ambition for inspiring and diverse careers for all SAS surgeons.
The project has generated a wealth of insights into the potential of the SAS workforce, the challenges faced by both SAS doctors and medical leaders in trying to realise this potential and the facilitators that can help to maximise the contributions of SAS doctors. These insights have informed the College’s SAS strategy and enabled us to launch a series of new resources specific to the SAS workforce. These include case studies of SAS surgeons – see SAS Hub – with advice for those who might be considering a career as a SAS surgeon, as well as those who already occupy SAS posts and want to take their career to the next level.
SAS Forum
We are committed to supporting SAS surgeons and our SAS Forum is at the heart of this work. The Forum promotes SAS involvement in relevant issues at both regional and national levels, as well as engagement with SAS surgeons and specialty doctors across the UK. Find out more.
