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Resolving problems with your training

Education Hub

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This page provides a guide to the “chain of command” in postgraduate medical education.

In the event of a significant training problem, a trainee should contact the following individuals or groups:

  1. Clinical supervisor (the consultant you work for day-to-day) – always the first port of call.
  2. Educational supervisor (a consultant who is appointed at the start of your training programme and has an overview of your development over the years) – usually more detached from the pressures of your clinical work, and capable of more independent input.
  3. Local trainee representative, Training Programme Director (TPD) or workforce officer – usually contactable by e-mail. If you’re not sure who this is, we should be able to help you find them.
  4. Specialty Training Committee (STC) – a deanery-wide committee concerned with your particular specialty. Usually attended by the TPD, workforce officers, associate deans, trainee representatives, Royal College representatives and trust representatives. An excellent forum to discuss training issues. Any problems that you highlight with your local trainee representative or your TPD that they cannot immediately solve is likely to be discussed in this forum.
  5. Deanery Head of School – within a single deanery STCs in all the different specialties are supervised by a head of school who may be a little more detached from the politics of the STC itself.
  6. Specialty Advisory Committee (SAC) – national committees, one per speciality, which are attended by a representative from each deanery, usually a TPD or the Head of School. The SAC is concerned with developing consistent standards for training across all the deaneries. The Acute Medicine SAC has strong input from SAM with multiple SAM members, including the two SAM trainee representatives attending meetings of this committee.