History
The foundation programme has replaced what were originally the Pre-registration House Officer (PRHO) year and the first Senior House Officer (SHO) year. It is a two year training programme which follows immediately after graduation from medical school. It is designed to give experience of a variety of specialties. By the end of foundation year one (FY1) trainees must have achieved all competencies specified by the General Medical Council (GMC) in order to gain GMC registration.
Foundation year two (FY2) builds on FY1 and introduces trainees to the assessment and management of acutely ill patients.
A Rough Guide to the Foundation Programme is available to download from the Foundation Programme website.
Foundation training is undertaken in foundation schools across the UK. There are 26 in total bringing together medical schools, deaneries (who are responsible for the delivery of postgraduate medical education), trusts and a range of other organisations such as hospices to offer trainees a broad experience of healthcare settings.
Applying to foundation training
UK medical students usually make applications for foundation training in October/November of their final year of medical school. Application is by way of a national online application form. A national person specification is used to assess each candidate against a standard set of competencies. Candidates are graded against a standardised scoring system.
Helpful guidance on the process of application for UK graduates is available in the Foundation Applicant’s Handbook available to download from the Foundation Programme website.
Guidance for non-UK graduates wishing to apply to foundation training can also be found on the Foundation Programme website.
Details of the application process for 2009 will appear on this blog shortly. Until then you can view the 2008 process on the Foundation Programme website.
Documents available to download include; eligibility criteria, national person specification and the recruitment time line.
Filed under: Foundation Training | Tagged: foundation, medicine, postgraduate, programme, training
