Become an ASSET Instructor

The ASSET course aims to provide a hands-on educational package of generic surgical skills required by surgical Trainees in the Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand context. The emphasis of this course is on small group teaching, intensive hands-on practice of basic skills, individual tuition, personal feedback to participants and the performance of practical procedures.

ASSET is a two day course conducted for 20 participants with a faculty of 12 to 14 instructors.

Approximately 24 courses are run each year. A list of this year's ASSET courses is available on theASSET course schedule at the link below.

Teaching on Skills Training courses enables RACS Fellows to claim one CPD point per hour, with a maximum of 30 per annum.

Fellows and senior Trainees (SET 4+) from all surgical specialties are welcome to apply to become an ASSET instructor. Please register your interest by:

• Ensuring minimum eligibility criteria is met (Fellows or senior Trainees (SET 4+)
• Checking against the course pre-requisites
• Completing the Instructor Application form (DOC 205KB)
• Submitting form to [email protected]
• All applications to be considered by the ASSET committee

• Encouraged to attend a full course as a potential instructor to gain understanding of the course objectives, content and delivery methods
• Instructors may select to participate in the section of the course most relevant to their practice
• Successful candidates progress directly to instructor status
• Teach a minimum of one course per year to maintain instructor status

The Skills Training Department is the communication link between participants, faculty and the ASSET committee.

"I find that teaching on an ASSET course is always a really enjoyable experience. It's great to have the opportunity to engage with the next generation surgeons from across all specialties, and to help teach some fundamental practical surgical skills in a relaxed environment."
Dr Stuart Bade FRACS, Deputy Chair for the ASSET committee.

"The ASSET course is about teaching hands on surgical skills - something within the domain of every Fellow. It is practical, interactive and is enthusiastically embraced by Trainees at the start of their surgical careers. Involvement as an instructor always teaches you things too."
Dr Robert Davies FRACS, ASSET committee member.

ASSET Administrator
Skill Training Department
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
College of Surgeons' Gardens
250-290 Spring Street
East Melbourne VIC 3002 Australia

Telephone: +61 3 9276 7481
Email:[email protected]