Past-President & Conference Organiser: Ed Fitzgerald

I finished my basic surgical training rotation at Nottingham University Hospital in February 2007, just as the Medical Training Application Service (MTAS) disaster was reaching its career-ruining peak. It wasn’t a great time to find a registrar job. Thankfully I went on to secure a training number in London, however many of my colleagues weren’t so lucky. The experience drew me into my current involvement with the Association of Surgeons in Training. Too many good trainees have been disenfranchised by recent developments in medical training and in the NHS. We risk creating a generation of doctors who turn their back on management and leadership roles, feeling powerless to make a difference. This needs to change.

In my previous roles as Vice-President (2008-2009) and President (2009-2010) I wrote ASiT position statements on the structure of core surgical training, the future surgical workforce and our substantial publications relating to the EWTD. The time has now come to build on these through a structured plan for improving surgical training throughout the NHS.

I have a keen interest in surgical education and maintaining the current standards of training that have made UK surgeons highly valued around the world. My speciality interests lie in colorectal and emergency surgery, and I aim to undertake a further period of academic research in these areas in the coming years.

The training needs and career pathways of surgical trainees differ substantially from our colleagues in other areas of the medical profession. ASiT plays a vital role in representing this important group and promoting excellence in surgical training. I look forward to making my contribution over the coming year.

Ed Fitzgerald

edwardfitzgerald@doctors.org.uk