General Information
The Stoke School of Anaesthesia is recognised by the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) and the Dean of Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education in the West Midlands. The Specialist Training Programme offers a schedule which meets the standards and experience required by the PMETB.
Subject to satisfactory training progress and assessment over a 7 year programme, trainees will be eligible for the award of CCT. Entry into the programme is subject to candidates meeting the minimal entry requirements as defined by the Royal College of Anaesthetists. For further information about the school, please visit www.stokeanaesthesia.org.uk
Training Programme Director Core training: Dr Sash Agarwal
Training Programme Director Specialist training: Dr Chris DeKlerk
Trainee Reps: Details are kept up-to-date on the SSA website
The Stoke School…
The Stoke School is one of the three schools of Anaesthesia in Health Education England – West Midlands (HEE-WM). Set in the northern part of the West Midlands we provide comprehensive training across the ten hospitals in and around the ‘moorlands and marches’ of Staffordshire and Shropshire. We have two Cardiac centres at Stoke and Wolverhampton and Stoke is also an internationally renowned trauma centre. We are able to access specific training from the other two schools in the West Midlands. Specialist areas of training are available at the Birmingham Children’s Hospital and the Birmingham Women’s Hospital along with Thoracic’s at Hartlands. Our Hospitals have strong links with both the Birmingham and Keele Medical Schools.
Core Training
The two years spent in Core training are usually in 2 different centres providing a diverse and comprehensive package to start off your career in Anaesthesia. You will be informed in advance of both placements so that you can arrange your life around the rotation. The format of training follows the RCoA curriculum and is guided by our workbook. Along with your in-hospital training we run a School wide Introduction to Anaesthesia course and an Initial Assessment of Competence day. The School wide training is then further supported with a regional teaching programme, Transfer Training and Critical Incident simulation training. After these two years you should have sat the first part of the RCoA exam and gained a Core Level Training Certificate; ready, willing and able to become a Specialist Trainee.
Specialist Training
There are opportunities to go Out Of Programme (OOP) for some of your training. To finish your training, the Stoke School offers a plethora of Advanced training options in your final year including a six month Fellowship in Regional Anaesthesia.
Less Than Full Time training (LTFT) is fully supported with a handbook to guide you through the maze and an LTFT rep and Regional Advisor to turn to for help.
All the information about the Stoke School of Anaesthesia is on our website. We have an active Twitter feed, a trainee newsletter and a myriad of WhatsApp groups to keep the trainees connected and informed.