SAS week 2024

Join us for a week-long celebration highlighting the value of SAS (specialist, associate specialist, and specialty) doctors and promoting SAS as a positive career choice, from 14 - 18 October.
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Welcome to SAS week

In partnership with NHS Employers, SAS week is all about recognising and celebrating the incredible work and expertise of SAS doctors. 

Throughout this week, we’ll be offering exciting webinars, inspiring case studies, interactive resources, and much more. Each day, we’ll shine a spotlight on the vital contributions of SAS doctors with fresh content designed to inform, inspire, and engage. 

SAS committee chair Ujjwala Anand Mohite introduces SAS Week and what the week is about.

Watch the video

Ujjwala highlights the webinars taking place during SAS week 2024.

Watch the video
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SAS week - Day 1

Explore and celebrate the diversity and opportunities within SAS roles. Learn how to make the most of your role and discover new pathways for growth.

An updated SAS charter for England is on the way - watch this space!

SAS as a career choice
Wales | Blog Celebrating SAS Week: improving the landscape for SAS doctors Welsh SAS committee deputy chair Hisham Bakr shares insights about his journey as a specialty doctor, the importance of the SAS role, and the committee’s efforts to improve pay and conditions.
UK | Blog SAS doctors occupy a valuable place at the heart of health services The third annual SAS week focuses on recognition and celebrating a group of doctors that – all too often – goes unsung, write consultants committee co-chairs Shanu Datta and Helen Neary.
NI | Blog From strength to strength NISASC chair Leanne Davison reflects on a positive year for the grade.
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UK | Blog A day in my life as SAS doctor SAS doctor Susanne Reinoehl describes the highlights and challenges of her typical working day.
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UK | Blog My SAS career – a success story Vaishali Parulekar describes her varied and rewarding journey to becoming a SAS doctor and getting involved in the BMA SAS committee
Wales | Video Watch: Dr Hisham Bakr on SAS week Deputy chair of WSAS Hisham Bakr talks about his experiences of becoming a SAS doctor and why SAS week is an important way to recognise the contribution speciality and specialist doctors make.
NI | Video Watch: Dr Leanne Davison on SAS week NISASC chair Leanne Davison welcomes you to SAS week.
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England | Guidance Autonomy of SAS grade As a SAS grade doctor you may be capable of taking decisions and carrying responsibility without direct supervision, which is known as autonomous working.
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UK | Webinar Interview skills and preparation for SAS doctors In this recorded webinar, you will be guided through the strategic journey of honing and tailoring your interview skills for consultant, GP, and SAS doctor roles.
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UK | Career The SAS charter The SAS charter will help you to elevate your position at work, hold your employers accountable and provide greater development and working opportunities.
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Wales | Career The SAS charter for Wales The charter demonstrates a commitment to supporting and developing the role of the SAS doctor as a highly valued and vital part of the medical work force in Wales.
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SAS week - Day 2

Today’s focus is all about the specialist grade. Explore comprehensive guidance on the specialist grade and read about a specialist anaesthetist’s first 18 months in the role.

Don’t miss our live webinar today (15 October) from 6–7pm, hosted in collaboration with NHS Employers.

Specialist grade
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UK | Blog What the specialist role means to me, by a specialist anaesthetist BMA SAS committee member Robert James Fleming discusses his first 18 months working in a specialist role.
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England | Guidance The 2021 specialist grade explained Read our guidance on the roles and responsibilities of the 2021 specialist grade and how you can make a case for meeting the essential requirements.
UK | Blog My path to becoming a specialist doctor A blog from NHS Employers.
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SAS week - Day 3

Today’s resources spotlight opportunities for SAS doctors in extended roles. Use our job planning tool, Dr Diary, to support your growth, explore locum work options for SAS doctors, and read insightful reflections from SAS doctors on their experiences in extended roles.

Prioritise your development and make the most of these valuable tools.

SAS in extended roles and SAS development
UK | Blog Becoming a leader at your workplace SAS doctor Tatiana Tonu shares her experience in becoming lead of service at East Cheshire NHS trust.
UK | Blog Embracing the journey: my leadership in extended SAS roles Dr (Prof) Madapura K Shashidhara recounts his immersion into a specialist role and retells how he slowly built up his confidence.
Ujjwala Mohite
UK | Blog My journey to becoming the first female SAS committee chair Ujjwala Anand Mohite is passionate about encouraging more women into leadership positions where they can enact positive change in the working lives of their colleagues.
Northern Ireland | Blog 'It's who you know and what they know' Being a SAS doctor has given Julie Craig the time and space to set up a new network for SAS and locally employed doctors in her field.
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UK | Blog My journey as an SAS doctor in breast surgery There is an abundance of resources available to anyone wishing to take this route.
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UK | Tool Dr Diary app A diary that enables you to record work activities on-the-go. It will help you to track your activities, know your work patterns and steer your job plan.
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UK | Guidance Locum working for SAS doctors This guidance provides SAS doctors with everything they need to know about locum roles and contracts, as well as what happens if you choose to return to a substantive post.
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UK | Guidance Study, professional and special leave What you as a SAS doctor should consider when making an application for study, professional or special leave.
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UK | Guidance SAS doctors acting up This guidance addresses the situation where a SAS grade doctor is asked to cover for a senior colleague for a limited period only and is acting up into a senior role.
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UK | Webinar Leadership essentials 1 In this recorded webinar, we will teach you the skills needed for high quality leadership that can improve your credentials, inspire confidence in yourself and in others, as well as improve clinical outcomes.
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UK | Webinar Leadership essentials 2 This recorded webinar focuses on honing leadership strategies and skills necessary for managing diverse teams, navigating change, and enhancing patient care.
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UK | Guidance SAS professional development funding The BMA and NHS Employers have produced application guidance for SAS professional development funding.
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UK | Career Medical leadership online courses This collection focuses on how to grow your leadership skills in a healthcare setting.
UK | Webinar Empowering the SAS workforce Watch a webinar from NHS Employers.
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SAS week - Day 4

Today we are spotlighting equal rights in the medical profession. Find out why one SAS doctor believes every health service employer should have a disability champion to ensure these doctors are heard and supported.

Read personal experiences of ’gradism’ in the profession and learn more about the BMA’s work on the Medical Workforce Race Equality Standard (MWRES).

Equalities and the Medical Workforce Race Equality Standard
UK | Q&A Got burning questions for the UK SAS committee? Today, SASC UK (the BMA SAS doctors committee) is taking over the @BMA_SAS account! We’ll be answering your questions about our priorities, current projects, and how we represent SAS doctors. Simply tag us into any questions you have. Don’t miss your chance to engage with us directly.
Northern Ireland | Blog Normalising disability in the workplace Emergency medicine specialty doctor Clodagh Corrigan reflects on a year of action in highlighting the voice of disabled doctors in the health service.
UK | Blog Gradism in medicine is a growing concern for SAS doctors When doctors face discrimination because of their grade or rank, the whole system suffers, writes SAS committee member Amit Kochhar.
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UK | Blog Addressing gradeism: A call for change SAS doctors committee member Amit Kochhar outlines five steps to stamp out bias based on grade, and give the NHS the full potential of its SAS workforce.
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UK | Press release Race equality action plan "step in the right direction", says BMA Read our response to to the publication of the Medical Workforce Race Equality Standard action plan.
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UK | Career Equality online courses In this curated list of courses, you'll learn how to be more inclusive and unbiased, and how to challenge behaviour that is the opposite.
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UK | Our work Equality, diversity and inclusion We are committed to creating an open and inclusive culture at the BMA for our members and our staff. Find out more about the work we are doing at the BMA to make this happen.
UK | Blog My journey as a SAS doctor with dyslexia A blog from NHS Employers.
UK | Blog How we should be supporting SAS doctors A blog from NHS Employers.
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SAS week - Day 5

On the final day of SAS week, we’re highlighting the role of SAS advocates and the importance of wellbeing. Discover how SAS advocates are making a difference in the profession and explore resources to prioritise your own wellbeing.

Don’t miss our SAS advocate webinar today (18 October) from 12–1pm. We’ll cover the role’s purpose, challenges advocates face, and what to do if your trust doesn’t have one.

Watch the recording
SAS advocates and wellbeing
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UK | Blog My journey as a SAS advocate and why representation matters SAS advocate Gauri Sankhe outlines the significance of the SAS advocate role in ensuring all SAS doctors have a voice.
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Wales | Blog How are SAS advocates helping the profession? SAS advocates are now in place across Wales. Urmil Chalishazar, ENT specialist at Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board, explains their importance.
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UK | Guidance SAS advocate guidance This guidance is not intended to duplicate any work that is already ongoing within an organisation but can help supplement any local agreements already in place.
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UK | Infographic SAS advocate role Use our infographic to share and highlight the SAS advocate role that has been created to support the health and wellbeing of SAS doctors.
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UK | Guidance Safe working for hospital doctors When services are understaffed, patient safety and your own health and wellbeing could be compromised. This toolkit outlines practical actions you can take to mitigate risk and ensure safety in a system under pressure.
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UK | Webinar Managing conflict In this recorded webinar we will look at a range of skills that will help you steer a course that delivers positive outcomes for all – helping build your confidence in managing those tricky conflict situations.
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UK | Webinar Self management and prioritisation This recorded webinar aims to help you increase your confidence in navigating new challenges and disruptions in the world of work.
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UK | Webinar Work, stress and positivity This recorded webinar will help you to understand more about stress from an individual perspective and how to positively harness good stress.
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UK | Webinar How to achieve a healthy work life balance This module will focus on you: identifying what is working well and what needs to change, giving you a plan and the practical tools to bring about the changes that you want.
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UK | Blog Prioritising wellbeing: a guide for SAS doctors Avoid isolation, plenty of exercise and a healthy diet can help you through the day.

SAS advocate webinar


Watch the recorded webinar from SAS week.

 

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Get involved

Join the conversation about SAS week on X using the hashtag:

#SASWeek24

Follow along on X

Join us as we celebrate the value and impact of SAS doctors – more will be happening on X @BMA_SAS and #SASWeek24.

 

Download resources

Spread the word and celebrate #SASWeek24! Download our social media assets and posters to share with your colleagues and network. Invite everyone to find out more and take part. 

Themed social media assets for each day: 

 

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