About the Imperial Novice Course
The Imperial Novice Course was established in 2010 and we have over a decade of experience delivering a high-quality introduction to Anaesthesia.
We actively try to keep our content relevant to the developing needs of our novices and our course represents a high quality hybrid learning package. The name of our course dates back to when the Anaesthesia training region in North West London was known as the Imperial School of Anaesthesia.
Our course content has been devised to familiarise you with the essential knowledge, drugs, equipment, and skills necessary to provide safe anaesthetic care to patients. You will be expected to be familiar with these basics within weeks of starting your Anaesthesia rotation. The course content will support you to attain the Initial Assessment of Competency which must be obtained within your first 3-6 months of Anaesthesia training.
This course will not only provide you with the very basic knowledge you need to achieve your Initial Assessment of Competency but also a taste of things you should be considering during your everyday practice. We know and understand that to begin with it is about surviving and getting through the list (both novices and patients alike – we were novices once too and remember how tough some days can be!).
In recognition of the steep learning curve you are facing, the North West London School of Anaesthesia has made our hybrid novice course a regional mandatory requirement for all Core Anaesthesia trainees, all ACCS trainees and all ICM trainees with a rotation in Anaesthesia.
"It has been a fantastic course - both in content and execution!"
"The best teaching I’ve had as a postgrad!"
"Fantastic discussion, faculty were excellent and provided plenty of opportunity to ask questions and clarify points"
"Excellent course content! Very useful for our stage of training"
"Really well put together mixture of talks and written format pieces."
"Useful and well structured, gives insight into the knowledge expected of us at this stage"
Our course content has been devised to familiarise you with the essential knowledge, drugs, equipment, and skills necessary to provide safe anaesthetic care to patients. You will be expected to be familiar with these basics within weeks of starting your Anaesthesia rotation. The course content will support you to attain the Initial Assessment of Competency which must be obtained within your first 3-6 months of Anaesthesia training.
This course will not only provide you with the very basic knowledge you need to achieve your Initial Assessment of Competency but also a taste of things you should be considering during your everyday practice. We know and understand that to begin with it’s about surviving and getting through the list (both novices and patients alike – we were novices once too and remember how tough some days can be!).
In recognition of the steep learning curve you are facing, the North West London School of Anaesthesia has made our hybrid novice course a regional mandatory requirement for all Core Anaesthesia trainees, all ACCS trainees and all ICM trainees with a rotation in Anaesthesia.
The Course
Our course is available in two formats:
- Hybrid course : online and face-to-face, for novices completing an anaesthetic rotation within the North West London School of Anaesthesia. A small number of places may be available for novices outside our region.
- Standalone online course : free, and open to any healthcare professional.
The hybrid course is made up of the three components below.
Online Course
FreeSelf-Paced
71 video podcasts and 46 written topics across eight modules, recorded by consultants and trainees in North West London. Each topic is stand-alone and around 10 minutes long.
Open to any healthcare professional. A certificate of achievement is available for each completed module.
Sessions & Workshops
Online + In-PersonRequired
Interactive Sessions
The online material is applied in small-group, case-based discussions on Zoom, held once a week for four weeks.
Practical Skills Workshop
Airway management, spinals, epidurals, arterial and central lines.
£50 fee payable via Learnoscopy, claimable through your study leave budget.
Simulation Day
Common and uncommon anaesthetic emergencies, clinical management and non-technical skills.
Key Dates
August 2026 Cohort
Interactive Sessions
09:45–12:00, Online (Zoom)
- Wed 12 Aug 2026
- Thu 20 Aug 2026
- Wed 26 Aug 2026
- Thu 3 Sep 2026
Practical Skills Workshop
Fri 4 Sep 2026
Northwick Park (social after)
Simulation Week
From Mon 19 Oct 2026
Exact date confirmed closer to the time.
We wish you a warm welcome to the Specialty of Anaesthesia. We hope you enjoy the course. Good luck!
Meet the TEAM
Hello and welcome to Anaesthesia training! Please do not hesitate to email us during your novice period or beyond. We will do our best to help you and if we can’t, we’ll be able to point you towards someone who can help with your query.
Jeremy Chui
Stage 2 Anaesthesia Resident|North Central London
Calum Richardson
Stage 2 Anaesthesia Resident|North West London
Lianne Fakes
Stage 2 Anaesthesia Resident|North West London
Anesh Patel
Stage 3 Anaesthesia Resident|Imperial Portfolio Pathway
Alexa Prichard
Stage 3 Anaesthesia Resident|North West London
Mayur Murali
Stage 3 Anaesthesia & Intensive Care Resident|North West London
Kate Barrett
Stage 2 Anaesthesia Resident|North West London
William Seligman
Stage 3 Anaesthesia & Intensive Care Resident|North West London
Sneh Shah
Consultant Anaesthetist|London North West Healthcare NHS Trust
Asantha Jayaweera
Consultant Anaesthetist|London North West Healthcare NHS Trust
George Bailey
Consultant in Emergency Medicine|Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust