Mapping the Problems Facing the New Surgical Curriculum

This contribution adds the perspective of an independent evaluator to Canter, Kelly and Williams' account of pre-piloting the new surgical curriculum. I have been researching in to professional learning in the workplace for 15 years, reviewed research into postgraduate medical education for the Department of Health and, more recently, evaluated the national colonoscopy training programme administered by the College. My role during the pre-pilot was that of a participant observer and I attended planning and reflection meetings in the Raven department at the College and engaged with a substantial number of participants in the pre-pilot phase. This article summarises my evaluation report on the curriculum website (http://curriculum.jchst.org/).