FlexFacs is the innovative, brand-new online training and educational resource for speciality trainees in oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS), launched by the British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (BAOMS).
FlecFacs went live on 21 September.
BAOMS 2020 President Rob Bentley has used part of his Presidential Fund to set up and support the online education programme in direct response to the shift to online learning: “Covid19 has prompted a shift to online learning, and the BAOMS Fellows in Training group designed a national programme under the direction of Montey Garg in 2020, which was very well received by the trainees.
“The Presidential Fund has supported the development of the programme and the costs of hosting and recording the individual sessions. We’re approaching industry partners too, and I envisage that their financial contributions will provide the ongoing backing for the resource,” Rob Bentley explained.
OMFS surgeons Mike Nugent and Montey Garg have been appointed by BAOMS as Lead and Deputy Lead for delivering online education. “FlexFacs will be a great resource for OMFS specialty trainees that will allow them to keep abreast of the latest evidence in OMFS and learn at the same time,” said Mike Nugent and Montey Garg.
They explained that the OMFS curriculum will be mapped “and we will support the delivery of the new curriculum over the next three years with monthly live virtual masterclasses led by experts in their fields.
“We are also working towards creating a repository of all similar recorded OMFS training lectures that other UK regions are offering trainees. Where we find good content we will share it with you and upload it to the BAOMS FlexFacs section of the website.
“FlexFacs will supplement training for trainees. It will encourage trainees across the country to learn as much as they can to become safe and competent oral and maxillofacial surgeons. We want to support them throughout their training in an accessible way that will help them to do their jobs better.”
The inaugural FlexFacs virtual masterclass, on the airway module, was led by OMFS consultant/head and neck surgeon Kunmi Fasanmade on 21 September 2021. The monthly FlexFacs webinars run for 45 minutes starting at 8pm on the third Tuesday of the month.
“All the lectures will be uploaded onto the FlexFacs page on the BAOMS website,” Mike Nugent and Montey Garg explained.
And, in a really exciting move, Mike Nugent, Montey Garg and the FlexFacs team will work with Jag Dhanda, consultant OMFS/head & neck surgeon, on presenting surgical procedures using 360-degree cameras: “We want to include this excellent innovation to make it part of our flexible learning programme, and will make these operative videos available to trainees for a limited period of time every month.”
Jag Dhanda has used advances in 3D video camera technology to develop online teaching of clinical skills and procedures. The FlexFacs team are also looking to record their own 3D content to add to the repository on the FlexFacs section of the BAOMS website.
“This is an excellent initiative by President Rob Bentley and is here to stay!”
The next FlexFacs online programme is on 19 October 2021 with consultant OMFS Niall McLeod on craniofacial trauma, and hosted by Mike Nugent.
