Fraser Brown is a gastroenterology specialty trainee currently based at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust. Fraser delivers regular endoscopy training and is learning more complex polypectomy and therapeutic skills, as well as contributing to the ongoing inpatient and outpatient care of gastro patients.

We asked Fraser some questions so our service users can get to know him a bit more. He also provides an insight into what he hopes to bring to the role:

How and why did you get into endoscopy as a career?

I have been involved in medical education since 2012, teaching medical students and resident doctors in various forms. I started gastro specialty training in 2018 and was certified in gastroscopy and colonoscopy as part of the programme. This gave me the opportunity to combine my interest in endoscopy with training, and I completed a train the trainer course shortly after.

I have been lucky to have the opportunity to take time out of programme as an endoscopy fellow with the Northern Endoscopy Training Academy. I have been regularly involved in the delivery of dedicated and ad hoc training, supporting the academy’s immersion training and collecting data from JETS to quality assure the academy’s work.

I enjoy the practical skill of performing endoscopy and the dynamic teamworking environment of a procedure room where you can directly contribute to the patient’s care journey, either by reassuring them, providing important diagnoses or providing emergency treatment. I find training others in these skills hugely rewarding and enjoy seeing fellow endoscopy trainees progress.

Do you have any achievements you are proud of from working within the sector?

I am fortunate to have worked closely with others already heavily involved in endoscopy training. This has given me the opportunity to work on some great projects. Two projects that I am particularly proud of include a UK-wide endoscopy trainer survey we had published in Frontline Gastro Journal, as well as a series of regional upper GI pathology training days that we set up as part of our regional training academy that were awarded the Improving Gastro Training Prize at BSG Live this year.

Why were you interested in taking up the JETS clinical lead role?

A few things led me towards taking up the JETS role. Since being involved in delivering endoscopy training at a local and regional level, I felt I had good awareness of the challenges and experiences of trainees and trainers. By using JETS data to evaluate the impact of our regional academy’s immersion blocks and planning new projects, I thought I had some insight into how ePortfolio data could be used to quality assure the implementation of regional academies and ensure equity of access for trainees. With recent work with the JETS team on the Reflection Tool and trainer development work, I had some familiarity with how endoscopy training is structured from the national perspective.

What are you most looking forward to in this role?