School Student
What's surgery like?
Application
There are three main points at which you should display all of the competencies you have gained from your experiences:
Application form
The application form is the first stage in the application process and you should therefore dedicate sufficient time to its completion. For applications to posts in the training pathway, you are likely to have to complete an application form that will ask you for information about your training and experience so far, as well as a number of questions that will require you to provide examples of particular competencies and how you have demonstrated these.
You should draft answers to the questions beforehand and then copy them across to the form, particularly if you are using an online form. This will help you avoid any serious mistakes or spelling errors.
To ensure that you are able to complete the application form well in the appropriate time scale, you should draft some answers to questions you think may arise before you begin the application process. Examples may include:
- Describe a time when you have had to make a decision under pressure
- What experience of delivering teaching do you have?
- Describe a recent example from your surgical experience of a time when you found it difficult to make an effective judgement in a challenging situation. How did you overcome this difficulty and how has this experience informed your subsequent practice?
Make sure you read the application form very carefully and provide appropriate answers relevant to the person specification. Examples from your portfolio will be very helpful in this process.
Remember: if you do not provide suitable evidence of your competencies on your application, it may not be clear that you meet the entry or selection criteria. Therefore, you may not be longlisted/shortlisted/invited to interview.
CV
Although application forms are becoming the more normal method of application, for more senior posts or for career grade applications you may be asked to provide your CV.
Your CV will probably have less than two minutes to impress the assessor of your suitability for the job so a good first impression is vital. Ensure it is logically and clearly laid out and relevant information is easy to find. To save yourself time, it is worth spending some effort on a ‘master’ copy of your CV that can then be updated as you progress.
A good CV should combine enough relevant detail to get you on the shortlist, with clear examples of how you meet the key competencies required. It should chart your personal and professional experience and qualifications, making it clear how they are relevant to the job.
Qualifications and experience should be clearly stated so the reader can see immediately that you meet the basic requirements of the post. A clear summary of clinical experience is vital and you should also make it clear that you are suited to the wider roles of a surgeon: emergencies, outpatient clinics, day care, work in the ward and work in the operating theatre. Include your experiences in peri-operative patient care along with the list of operations you’ve performed.
