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British Association of Stroke Physicians Trainees Group

-Links with BGS Trainees Group

Stroke medicine as a sub-specialty
Stroke medicine may become a sub-specialty under General (Internal) Medicine in the near future. The Sub-Specialty Advisory Committee (SSAC) has been putting together the application to the Specialist Training Authority (STA) on behalf of the JCHMT for approval of the sub-specialty. The STA will then consider its merits but the timeframe for this process and whether approval will be granted are not yet known. The British Association of Stroke Physicians (BASP) has played a key role in the whole process and the recently established BASP Trainees Group is a reflection on the significant progress that has been made so far.

Who can join the BASP Trainees Group?
Any trainee who has a special interest in stroke medicine, working in the clinical setting or as a researcher, can join the BASP trainees group. Non-career grade doctors and keen SHOs who have shown a clear interest in stroke medicine are welcomed. We also recommend all stroke trainees to join the BASP as an associate member since we believe this is the best way to get the most out of stroke training. To find out how to join, please visit the BASP web site (www.basp.ac.uk).

  

Objectives of the BASP Trainees Group
The Trainees Group aims to:

  • encourage the effective training of stroke specialists
  • represent the opinions of BASP trainees
  • encourage the involvement of all trainees in the activities of BASP
  • provide a forum for the discussion of issues relevant to trainees
  • disseminate relevant information to trainees
  • promote and encourage high quality research by trainees in stroke medicine

    The British Association of Stroke Physicians

    BASP is a professional organisation which aims to promote the advancement of stroke medicine in the UK. One of its major functions is to educate stroke trainees so that they would be fully prepared to take a leading role in the management of stroke patients and organisation of services.

    Within BASP, a stroke trainees group was formed in the beginning of this year with members from various parent specialities (mainly geriatric medicine and neurology). The number of the stroke trainees in the group has been growing steadily as more and more SpRs are interested in training to become stroke specialists.

Forming links with the BGS
We recognise the importance of forming close links with other specialist bodies such as the BGS and Association of British Neurologists (ABN). Sue Evans and I have taken on the responsibility of liaising with our trainee colleagues in the BGS. Our main objectives are to: 1) keep you up-to-date about issues related to stroke training in the UK; 2) answer any query that you may have regarding stroke training; and 3) enhance the profile of stroke medicine as a sub-specialty. Please do not hesitate to contact us by email.

BASP Trainees Group Website
The stroke trainees web site is currently under construction. It can be accessed via the main BASP web site and no user name or password is required. There is a regular newsletter written by the chairman every 3-4 months and all the available newsletters can be downloaded as Word files (www.basp.ac.uk/basp2003trainees.htm). We are planning to improve the style and content of the web site and make it more informative and user friendly. In the future, we may even hope to include information such as stroke training posts and research opportunities. We would be most grateful for any suggestions, comments or advice regarding the web site.

Phyo Myint

Phyo Myint

Committees within the BASP Trainees Group
The Trainees Group is still in the process of being developed and formed. There are currently two committees within the Trainees Group with a dozen committee members (chaired by Joseph Kwan): 1) Trainees Committee: this deals with the general running of the group including liaising with other organisations such as the BGS and Association of British Neurologists (ABN), as well as managing the stroke trainees’ website (within the main BASP web site). 2) Educational Meeting Committee: this deals with the organisation of the Annual Stroke Trainees’ Educational Meeting which aims to start next September.

Further information
I would encourage anyone with a special interest in stroke medicine to join the BASP Trainees Group and the BASP as an associate member. For further information, please email Sue Evans (sue_r_evans@yahoo.com) or myself.

Phyo K Myint
Vice Chairman
BGS Trainees Committee
BGS Liaison Member, BASP Trainees Committee

For further information on the BASP trainees group, including how to become an associate member:
Visit the BASP web site www.basp.ac.uk

Other useful contacts for further information
Sue Evans - sue_r_evans@yahoo.com
BGS Liaison Member (EMC) and Trainee Rep (BASP T&E Committee)

Joseph Kwan – jk@1to1.org
Chair, BASP Trainees Committee

Raj Kumar – drrtskumar@yahoo.com
Chair, BASP Trainees Scientific Committee

David Werring – david.werring@ukonline.co.uk
ABN Liaison Member (EMC) and Abstract Co-ordinator

Phyo K Myint - Pkyawmyint@aol.com
Vice Chair, BGS Trainees Committee
BGS Liaison Member on the BASP Trainees Committee