RCS England educational bursaries

Clinical Criteria

A. Personal statement (max 150 words): please explain why you wish to attend your chosen course and the benefits it would bring. 

B. Leadership and teamwork (max 100 words): give evidence of how you have made a personal contribution to leadership and management. This is not restricted to your surgical work and can be demonstrated with non-medical activities. Please feel free to provide evidence of ‘distributed leadership’. If you list particular roles in your application, describe your impact on these roles. We recognise many different aspects of leadership, which could include but are not limited to: 

• evidence of positive outcomes as a result of effective leadership inputs and processes;
• improvements to service effectiveness, productivity or efficiency for the benefit of patients, the public or staff; development of individuals or a team. You should give specific examples (e.g. of mentoring or coaching);
• demonstrating your contribution to removing barriers and positively promoting diversity in the workplace or non-medical activities; 
• working across organisational or professional boundaries; 
• membership of a committee along with evidence of outcomes and your role in these;
• excellence in team leadership for which you take sole, rotational or shared responsibility; 
• qualifications in leadership/management. 

C. Teaching, training and education (max 100 words): for some applicants, teaching, training and education will form a major part of their contribution to the NHS. If applicable, you may list key educational papers that you have published. Examples could be:

• acting as faculty on RCS England courses; 
• leadership and innovation in teaching; 
• authorship of teaching media; 
• contributions to postgraduate education and lifelong learning; 
• contributions to teaching in other UK centres or abroad; 
• developing innovative training methods; 
• presentations; 
• invitations to lecture; 
• teaching and education of the public, e.g. health promotion and disease prevention; 
• evidence of personal commitment to developing teaching skills, such as a Certificate in Education; 
• academic qualifications in education, e.g. MEd. 

D. Research and scholarship (max 100 words): outline your contribution to research and how you have supported innovation, including quality improvement. If applicable, you may list key papers that you have published. Areas covered could include:

• actual or potential impact of your research, including its relevance to the health of patients and the public;
• new techniques or service models that you have developed and which have been adopted by others;
• how you have encouraged the systematic uptake of innovation to improve the quality of patient care;
• membership of research groups;
• grants that you hold;
• peer-reviewed publications, chapters or books written or edited (please indicate editorial activity);
• academic qualifications in basic science or clinical research. 

Clinical values question

E. The GMC professional Capabilities Framework states in Domain 1: Doctors are expected to act with honesty and integrity. 

What does integrity mean to you? How do you demonstrate integrity in your work? (max 500 words)

All questions will be scored by a panel of judges. Those that pass the minimum threshold for the clinical criteria will then be ranked according to the combined scores of the personal statement and clinical values question. Awards will then be awarded to the highest scorers by each award donation and the specific criteria associated with each donation. E.g. Upper GI course. 

Alban Barros D’Sa was a consultant general surgeon at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. The educational award was set up in memory of Mr Barros D’Sa, reflecting his Upper GI and Colorectal specialty and interest in supporting surgeons in training in these areas.

The Worshipful Company of Needlemakers is one of 110 Livery Companies in the City of London. It has historic links to the needle-making industry, although few UK manufacturers remain. The company continues its tradition of supporting the Lord Mayor and the City of London, and its charitable giving supports organisations, including the Royal College of Surgeons England, and individuals associated with the use of needles and education.

The Margaret Witt Scholarship Fund for Clinical Excellence was set up with the estate of the late Witt sisters. Margaret Witt was an award-winning surgeon who was keen to develop trainees (and non-training equivalent doctors) by supporting their access to RCS England training opportunities. The Witt sisters were particularly eager to support women in surgery, insisting that at least some educational bursaries be awarded to women.