Sala’s book to surgical success
The majority of us only revisit interview preparation in some anxiety-induced dream but Sala Abdalla has written a ‘how to’ book to help new generations of surgeons make the grade.
Her own experience of taking the highly-competitive general surgical interviews for ST3 was marked by an absence of any supporting advice or literature at the time.
As a result, she compiled more than 200 pages of personal notes en route to being accepted on the six-year training pathway way, which on average sees more than 500 doctors compete for 125 places.
Sala, a consultant in general and upper GI surgery at Ealing Hospital, said: “It’s the gateway to becoming a surgical consultant and involves an interview consisting of multiple ‘stations’ where you go into successive rooms to be grilled on various aspects of surgery and your portfolio.
“It’s tough but the book prepares doctors for what to expect along with my personal insights.”
Sala approached a medical publisher with her book idea after lending her original notes to a junior doctor she was mentoring. The doctor was subsequently accepted on the six-year training programme and told Sala how helpful the notes had been.
Cracking the general surgery interviews for ST3 is Sala’s second book. It will be released in early 2022, and is available now for pre-order.
“It was a lot of work to fit in around my day-to-day surgical duties but I’m really pleased with it and enjoy giving younger colleagues a helping hand.”
It includes advice on preparation for online interviews during the Covid-19 pandemic.