Staff Grade, Associate Specialist & Specialty (SAS) Doctors & Dentists Induction

Dear SAS colleague,

We extend a warm welcome to you in your new role as a Specialty Doctor/Specialty Dentist in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde!

We are a team of three NES SAS Education Advisors in GG&C. Once notified by HR of your appointment, one of us will make personal contact as your designated advisor. You will be added to our SAS contact list and we will share relevant information pertaining to education, training and SAS development funding opportunities. We can offer guidance on career development, job planning and appraisal. We are also a point of support for your wellbeing.

There are approximately 1300 SAS grade doctors and dentists working in NHS Scotland. They make up about 25% of the senior medical workforce. Many are working in various specialties across GG&C, so please reach out – we would all like to meet you. By now, you will have had induction pertaining to your clinical role. Here, we summarise information on local contacts and links relevant to our SAS workforce.

Here is a helpful guide for people new to the SAS grade: Guidance for SAS Doctors and Dentists (nhs.scot). An induction checklist for SAS can be accessed here: nesd1227-sas-induction-checklist.pdf (nhs.scot)

We have lots of resources on the Scotland Deanery website about our SAS Development Programme including details on SAS Development Fund Application Process | Scotland Deanery (nhs.scot), which is over and above your entitlement to regular study leave funding. This may assist you to develop new or improved clinical services, or to enhance your role within your clinical team. It can also be used for short term top up training for CESR.

We encourage that you consider taking up associate membership with your relevant specialty Royal College and sign up for e-Portfolio, as do trainees in your specialty. This will enable you to record your training experience prospectively, allow procedural training to be listed and signed off and help plan your training needs. By collecting the data as you go along, you will be in a good position to re-join formal training or consider future specialist registration status from a SAS post (CESR), should you so wish. If you are pursuing CESR, you can join our NES CESR Peer Support group via MS Teams which features regular webinars by SAS who have achieved CESR.

We wish you every success and happiness in your new role and look forward to meeting you at our local meetings, SAS webinars and education sessions!

Mun, Linda and Gary

Dr Mun Woo – Associate Specialist, Renal and Transplant Services, Inverclyde Royal Hospital, GGC Training Lead / ADME (SAS)

Dr Linda Stephen – Associate Specialist, Department of Neurology, Epilepsy Unit, West of Glasgow ACH-Yorkhill

Dr Gary Manson – Staff Grade, Accident and Emergency, Royal Alexandra Hospital

If you feel we should include anything please let us know: medicaleducation@ggc.scot.nhs.uk