I recently opted to reduce my working time from 100% full time to 80% less than full time and haven’t looked back. It’s genuinely one of the best things I’ve done to safeguard the durability of my training. Less than full time (LTFT) working in the NHS has been around for a while but itContinue reading “Less Than Full Time Training in the NHS: What’s it Like?”
Author Archives: Vasudev Zaver
Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery in The NHS: How to Approach Registrar Training
Registrar training can be a real minefield to navigate. It feels like a truly all consuming process that can leave you struggling to pick up the pieces and figure out if you’re coming or going. I go into pretty honest detail in my own review of my first year of training which I’d recommend readingContinue reading “Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery in The NHS: How to Approach Registrar Training”
I Completed 80 Arthroplasty Operations! My Experience of the Learning Curve
Learning how to perform an arthroplasty (a joint replacement) is a mandated part of the Trauma & Orthopaedic (T&O) Surgery national curriculum. As it stands, the T&O Specialty Advisory Committee (SAC) have advised that 80 operations as the first surgeon constitute the indicative number of arthroplasties that must be completed during Registrar training. This numberContinue reading “I Completed 80 Arthroplasty Operations! My Experience of the Learning Curve”
Ace the Medical Conference: Top Tips to Maximise your Experience
As you can see, a conference, by way of convention, is a gathering of people who share a similar interest. This inherently offers a multitude of opportunities because the raison d’être for the conference is to appeal to people like you. It accordingly makes it all the more easier to connect with other people atContinue reading “Ace the Medical Conference: Top Tips to Maximise your Experience”
What James Clear’s “Atomic Habits” Taught Me About Being a Surgeon
We are routinely infantilised and seemingly never permitted to take full credit for our positions. I wonder if you can relate? I recently read the well known book, Atomic Habits, by James Clear. First published in 2018, this book has seen a surge of popularity over the years due to the easy-to-understand, stepwise approach offeredContinue reading “What James Clear’s “Atomic Habits” Taught Me About Being a Surgeon”
The VELYS Robotic-Assisted Arthroplasty Solution: A Guide for Trainees and Assistants
The VELYSTM Robotic-Assisted Solution for Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) burst onto the market in 2021, muscling in with various other robots on the market including the already well known Stryker Mako (TKA) system, which was launched in 2017. The VELYS robot reached the European market in 2023, after which it mainly saw uptake in theContinue reading “The VELYS Robotic-Assisted Arthroplasty Solution: A Guide for Trainees and Assistants”
Why “Deloading” is the Next Big Thing You Need to Try
We’re seemingly in the midst of a “hustle culture” storm, and it’s becoming increasingly ludicrous. Who can wake up the earliest, who can sleep the least, who can work the longest hours, who can make the most money, who can show off the most aggressively superfluous lifestyle.
Did I Actually Enjoy my Night Shifts?
Ok, so the next few paragraphs I have written are fresh. Like, super fresh. I have literally just completed a set of 3 resident nights at a Major Trauma Centre (MTC) as of yesterday morning and really wanted to share my reflections with you to highlight my updated experience. Even as I type, my fingersContinue reading “Did I Actually Enjoy my Night Shifts?”
Paperboy
It was an icy cold winter morning, frost shimmering on hedgerows and driveways, concealing the hazardous black ice that lay underneath. I tried to mount my bike to ride up the hill but to no avail; the tyres simply defied friction. I conceded to trudge up the hill and push my bike instead, lugging theContinue reading “Paperboy”
Start Acting Like a Registrar
📆 As changeover approaches this week, it’s very normal to feel apprehensive.
😵💫 Stepping up to registrar training is a whirlwind of an experience and understandably anxiety inducing.
✋🏽 Gone are the days where we need to pretend we’re ok. Let’s normalise conversations about challenges, tribulations, wins, and losses.
💬 Emotional intelligence and psychological wellbeing should be core priorities in our respective toolkits and championed openly.
🔗 I want to share my candid experience of starting registrar training to hopefully show that you don’t have to be perfect before you’ve even started.
🙏🏽 Be patient. Be proud of your achievement. And above all, be kind to yourself and others around you.
Vasudev Zaver 