JETS Workforce Clinical Lead Recruitment 2024

Recruitment is now open for the JETS Workforce clinical lead.

The Joint Advisory Group on GI Endoscopy (the JAG) wishes to appoint a JETS Workforce clinical lead who will work in partnership with JAG programme manager (training and data) to ensure the successful delivery of the JETS Workforce endoscopy workforce competency programme.

Collaboration: Working with the programme manager they will be responsible for delivering the main aims of JETS Workforce as agreed within the JAG governance framework including the training steering group and the JAG stakeholder group. They will oversee developments and provide high quality guidance and advice.

External representation: They will represent JETS Workforce in external meetings and act as a key point of contact on behalf of JAG for relevant medical colleges, societies, and professional and regulatory bodies. They will maintain and enhance the reputation of the programme and ensure its proper governance. They will closely work with the programme manager to ensure the success of JETS workforce. Responsibility for the day-to-day management of JETS workforce lies with the team based at the Royal College of Physicians. 

We are looking for the successful candidate to take up the role from 1 September 2024 which will be offered on a 0.5 PA per week, 2 year fixed term contract in the first instance paying a maximum of £6,000 per year to the successful candidate’s employer. It will be the duty of the candidate to obtain advance agreement from his/her employing authority that they will be given adequate time to perform the duties of this role.

For a full overview of the role please see the RCP website.

Interested parties are welcome to have an informal discussion ahead of application with the current JETS Workforce clinical lead, Phedra Dodds. These should be arranged via the JAG office (askjag@rcp.ac.uk).

Applicants should submit the following to askjag@rcp.ac.uk:

• Letter of application outlining their suitability for the role
• Short CV (focussed on endoscopy-related achievements and leadership experience)
• Where appropriate, a letter of support from an academic supervisor should be provided

Interviews for short-listed applicants will be held virtually – date is TBC.

Please join us in thanking our departing JAG Training Lead, Miss Sarah Mills, who will be handing over her role to Dr Paul Dunckley this month.

Sarah took up her role as Training Lead in 2022, navigating the significant challenges for endoscopy training presented by the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, she has collaborated with Endoscopy Academies and JAG Regional Training Centres to develop innovative approaches to training, such as immersion training, as well as incorporating new JAG training and certification pathways into JETS and developing a dashboard for Academy leads to target training opportunities for local trainees.

A particular highlight of Sarah’s tenure was chairing the JAG strategy day on ‘The Future of Endoscopy Training’, held at the RCP in 2023. She recalls the ‘highly spirited and passionate debate’ amongst stakeholders, and believes the day provided JAG with ‘a blueprint that I have no doubt that my successor, Dr Paul Dunkley, will implement successfully during his tenure.’ She is confident that ‘the future of endoscopy training will be safe in his capable hands!’

Please also join us in welcoming Paul, who has extensive experience in leading endoscopy training, having delivered over 250 training courses since qualifying as a consultant gastroenterologist. Paul has sat on the JAG Training Committee since 2008, where, as a former Clinical Lead for JETS, he oversaw the development and UK-wide rollout of the platform, as well as JAG’s transition to digital certification pathways in 2011. In addition to publishing over 30 peer-reviewed papers on endoscopy training, Paul is the Director of both the Gloucestershire Bowel Cancer Screening Programme and the South West Endoscopy Training Academy, where he has sought to enhance training for his region’s wider endoscopy workforce.

Looking to the future, Paul notes ‘the significant challenges facing endoscopy training, with stretched endoscopy services, the ongoing impact of the pandemic, workforce gaps and the reduced length of training programmes.’ Nevertheless, he believes that ‘it is a very exciting time – with the advent of the regional endoscopy training academies, the release of JETS Workforce, and the increasing focus on training administrative and clerical staff in endoscopy. I look forward to working with JAG’s stakeholders to continue developing and quality-assuring endoscopy training in the UK.’

Differences from our other pathways:

Independence in OGD and colonoscopy – this is the first of our pathways on JETS that requires independence in another pathway as one of its key performance indicators (KPI). Independence in OGD and colonoscopy is required in DAE certification. This can be evidenced by certification on JETS, or levels set by a training lead in their ‘organisation admin’ page.

Summative DOPS – as the case volume of DAE is much smaller than our other pathways, the DAE assessors agreed that the 4-week window in which our other pathways require summative DOPS to be achieved is not suitable for DAE. The window for DAE was therefore agreed to be 8 weeks to take into account access to lists/procedures.

eLearning for health (ELFH) – completion of e-learning modules for capsule endoscopy is required for DAE. This must be evidenced on your certification page by uploading the certificate from the ELFH website. You can do this upload directly from the certification page.

This module is under review for the future capsule pathway. Candidates must evidence having completed the current version of the module on the e-learning for health website.

Procedures/DOPS prior pathway launch – as the DAE procedure entry form and formative DOPS were added to JETS prior to the launch of the DAE pathway, we would like to reassure candidates that any data input in the interim between the forms being added and pathway launch will automatically count towards your KPIs at launch.

You can find out more information about this pathway in the JETS certification pathway document. 

Please circulate with anyone in your network that may be interested in becoming certified.