Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Programme: Where are We Now?

Abstract

The compulsory Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Programme (ISCP) was introduced in 2007 for all surgical trainees in a bid to provide a platform for better trainee evaluation and assessment. Its introduction received a mixed response and a compulsory annual fee of £125 added to the financial burden now on surgical trainees as they undertake their training. An early appraisal among users discovered general dissatisfaction with the fee and, most importantly, what the ISCP actually offered them in terms of their training. Parallel to these findings, there has been anecdotal and published evidence that the ISCP format for assessment is not adhered to by senior trainers and that this is a result of a general apathy toward the ISCP among senior clinicians.