Trainee Types

Within the UK and Ireland there are a number of different types of trainee. These are:

Specialty Registrar (StR)

Those who started approved surgical training in the UK on or after 1st August 2007 are known as Specialty Registrars (StRs)*. The change in title was part of the Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) initiative developed by the four Health Departments.

Guidance on the arrangements for StR training, which has continued to evolve, is set out in A Reference Guide for Postgraduate Specialty Training in the UK also know as the Gold Guide.

StRs are expected to use the ISCP website to house their electronic portfolio and eLogbook to record their operations.

StRs will pay the JCST trainee fee. For more information on the JCST trainee fee, please see here.

*Trainees who started before 1st August 2007 and switch to a more recent curriculum become StRs.

Specialist Registrar (SpR/Calman)

Those who are undertaking approved surgical training in Ireland or started training in the UK before 1st August 2007 are known as Specialist Registrars (SpRs) or Calman trainees*.

Guidance on the arrangements for SpR training is set out in ‘A Manual of Higher Surgical Training’ (also known as the Pink Book) and ‘A Guide to Specialist Registrar Training’ (also known as the Orange Book).

SpR trainees are expected to use eLogbook to record their operations.

*Trainees who switch to a more recent curriculum will become StRs.

Academic Training

A number of trainees are appointed to academic posts each year; these will either be Academic Clinical Fellows (ACFs) or Academic Clinical Lecturers (ACLs).

If you are an academic trainee you will spend part of your time undertaking clinical specialty training and part undertaking research or educationalist training. Typically both of these periods will be considered to count towards training.

ACFs are usually available to those in the early years of training and therefore tend to start at level ST1 or ST2. ACLs are usually available to those who are advanced in their specialty training and will therefore tend to start at level ST3 onwards.

Academic trainees are issued Academic National Training Numbers (NTN(A)s) in a specific surgical specialty.