Maximising SHO training by inclusion of research fellows into a novel hybrid rota.

INTRODUCTION: As a result of current government legislation, junior surgical trainees are increasingly working in shift patterns. Night shifts provide few training opportunities and recent debate has focused on the most effective way of providing appropriate surgical training in the face of these working pattern restrictions.
METHODS: At York Hospital, we have recently implemented a new hybrid rota in general surgery which uses research fellows to cover the majority of night-time shifts at SHO level. RESULTS & DISCUSSION: Surgical trainees have benefited by spending a much greater proportion of their time working with patients during the day where training is more continuous, better supervised and more uniform. Research fellows have benefited in being able to maintain their clinical skills whilst having sufficient free time to pursue research during the day. Extending the role of the research fellow at night to include registrar duties could also release higher surgical trainees from some night-time service commitments and allow them to benefit from more day-time training.