The Lead Anaesthesiology Trainee (LAT) role was established in 2015. The role of this representative is to encourage communication between all trainees and the Committee of Anaesthesia Trainees. They also facilitate communication at a local level between trainees and individual anaesthetic departments. There is a permanent LAT coordinator position on CAT to facilitate this. CAT updates LATs regularly on any developments within the College that will have an impact upon trainees, as well as CAT activities.

The Committee of Anaesthesiology Trainees produce a regular publication called CAT News that is written and edited by the committee and provides news and information for all anaesthesia trainees.

We have compiled a number of resources that trainees have found useful for the MCAI, FCAI and a number of optional exams that you may sit during training. We hope this helps a little with your initial preparation for exams! The resource are available on the relevant exam page:

• Membership CAI MCQ
• Membership OSCE/SOE Fellowship CAI Written
• Fellowship CAI Clinical/SOE
• Pain Medicine
• Intensive Care Medicine

What is it?

The fellowship network is useful list of contacts for trainees in their final years of training who are considering applying for a specialty fellowship abroad following completion of formal training in Ireland. Often the best people to talk to about a particular fellowship are those who have recently undertaken that fellowship themselves. They will be able to give advice on what to expect from working and living in a foreign city and what to expect to get out of a particular fellowship. As trainees in Ireland, we don’t rotate through every teaching hospital; therefore there may be missed opportunities to gather information from those consultants who have completed interesting fellowships. The fellowship network is a list of consultants and fellows who have recently completed or are currently undertaking fellowships across the world. Everyone in the network has kindly agreed to share their details with trainees who need a useful contact to find information about a fellowships. The contacts on the list are happy to be contacted via email and help in anyway they can to make your decision and application process easier. Details are listed by speciality and by region.

How to go about applying for a fellowship?

Having decided on a fellowship that might be for you, then the next step will be the application process. The application process for fellowships differs greatly from centre to centre. Some fellowship posts accept applications on a rolling basis and appointments are made in a similar manner. Some fellowships (particularly in the UK) advertise approximately 6 – 12 months in advance of start date and applications need to be made in time. Specific details on the application process are usually available on the website of the hospital hosting the fellowship. Make sure to check well in advance of what is required for and application! Be advised that you likely be competing against trainees from the host country and, in some cases; fellowships are awarded preferentially to those trained ‘at home’. It is advisable to contact the centre of your choice early in order to express an interest and to enquire about their specific application process. Contact cat@coa.ie to receive a copy of Fellowship Network Contacts.