Welsh School of Anaesthesia

Educational Development Time

In order to support trainees achieving the GPC domain capabilities, the RCoA have produced guidance on the provision of specific time in the working week i.e. Educational Development Time (EDT) for developing and assessing skills to support learning and assessment in professional practice. The RCoA has a suggested time required for each stage of training, recommending trainees in anaesthetic posts in Stages 1 and 2 of the curriculum on both Core Anaesthetic Training and ACCS pathways should be allocated up to 2 hours of EDT per week. Those in Stage 3 should be allocated up to 4 hours per week, reflecting the requirement for greater involvement in some of these areas in the later stages of the training programme.

EDT should be allocated pro rata for less than full time trainees. The RCoA guidance suggests that allocation of time may be managed flexibly by departments and can be averaged over a period of time if desired.

The School established a working group from the WSoA STC membership and Health Boards to provide a standardised approach for allocation and agreed content of EDT in each departmental site. The following principles were agreed.

• EDT is time allocated in addition to study leave, departmental and/or regional teaching.
  
• EDT should be allocated on the electronic rota and, if possible, the trainee should be present in the hospital to complete this activity if the facilities allow.
  
• It is the responsibility of the ES to ensure EDT is allocated on the weekly rota and to direct and monitor content within a clearly defined personal development plan. Use of EDT will be specifically recorded by the ES on the ESSR for ARCP.
  
• EDT is not accrued during annual leave and study leave.
  
• EDT must be given the same protected status as departmental teaching time.
  

Allocation of Educational Development Time

In Anaesthesia, EDT is better facilitated by a sessional (4.5 hours) allocation rather than weekly hours. To ensure appropriate and regular allocation of EDT throughout the training year, departments are encouraged to annualise the sessions to a total of 16 sessions/year for Stage 1&2 trainees (4 sessions every 3 month module) and 32 sessions/year for Stage 3 trainees (8 sessions every 3 month module). This is based on a 39/40 week calculation, after all annual and study leave allocation has been taken into consideration.
Departments are encouraged to prospectively rota EDT on their electronic weekly rota in the same way as teaching time is allocated. At times a balance will need to be found between effective rota management and meeting trainee EDT needs. A degree of flexibility in the rota may be needed for specific project work or to accommodate attendance at relevant teaching lists - this can be agreed with the ES on a case-by-case basis.

Examples of EDT activity include the following:

1. Simulation based teaching. During the IAC or IAOC, EDT should support simulation training or tailored educational novice training sessions
2. Development/maintenance of significant and specific procedural skills for all stages of training e.g. TOE/FICE, regional blocks
3. Quality improvement/Audit project work
4. Attendance at Quality & Safety/Clinical Governance meetings
5. Development of leadership/management portfolio, e.g. complaints, serious incident investigations, departmental meetings, training meetings, CD/MD observation work
6. Teaching and development as an educator
7. Research activity
8. COVID related training recovery