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In this issue, we focus on revalidation guidance for doctors returning to clinical practice after a period of absence. This is an issue which our helpdesk receives a number of enquiries about.

The revalidation cycle typically allows for short periods of absence during a five-year cycle. Some types of supporting information – such as colleague and patient feedback – don’t need to be collected each year, and where doctors have been unable to collect sufficient supporting information, their responsible officer may recommend a deferment of their revalidation to the GMC in order to allow them sufficient time to address these gaps.

I have recently been appointed as an Examiner for the Royal College of Anaesthetists FRCA examination. It was a moment of great pride and achievement for me, but also very humbling and surprising to know that I was the first SAS doctor to be appointed as an examiner for the College. It has made me reflect on my journey as an SAS doctor and how I got to become an examiner.

I completed my undergraduate medical and postgraduate anaesthetic training in Mumbai, India. Like a lot of doctors from India in the early 2000s, I chose to come to the UK on a ‘permit-free training’ visa to train and work in the NHS, be better paid, and have a better balance between work and life. I first applied as a clinical observer at Basingstoke hospital and then was successful at interview for the senior house officer (SHO) post in August 2003. This was the first time that I became aware of the SAS grade of non-training doctors in the UK. In 2003, Basingstoke already had six SAS doctors on full-time or part-time contracts. They were a motivated group of doctors who had their own fixed lists and worked independently anaesthetising for complex cases. But at that time, like everyone else, I was intent on trying to train and become a consultant.