Calling all junior doctors: NPSA offers prize for essay on patient safety

The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) through the National Reporting and Learning Service (NRLS) is offering an annual prize for junior doctors practising in the United Kingdom (foundation year one up to specialist registrar level) on patient safety.
Three prizes will be awarded at the annual Patient Safety Congress. The winner will receive £500 and the two runners-up £200 each. The winning [...]

2010 Foundation Programme Recruitment is Underway

Enrolment has opened
Click here and enrol. You must enrol before you will be able complete an application form. Applicants will be able to submit an application online between Monday, 12 October and 12.00 midday (BST) Friday, 23 October 2009. Applications received after this time will not be accepted.
2010 Foundation Applicant’s Handbook on website
We recommend that [...]

Which specialty? New NHS careers website can help you decide your future career path

The NHS Medical Careers website was officially launched August 2009 and is a four-step career planning guide designed to assist you in understanding your options for choosing your future career as a doctor in the NHS.
The website provides ”a resource for making informed decisions when planning a career in medicine and related fields.  Register online to [...]

Foundation application form slides from BMA Careers Conference, Manchester, March 2009

Slides from the talk given at the BMA Careers Conference held at the University of Manchester on 24th March 2009 can now be found at:
The Foundation Application Process – An Introduction

Question 7 – When is an achievement not an experience?

Question 7 on the foundation application form asks:
‘Describe one of your non-academic achievements. Explain clearly why this was an achievement for you. What did you learn from this achievement and how will it influence your approach to patient care?’
The guidance indicates that your example must not be simply an experience.
So, what makes an example more [...]

Foundation applications – frequently asked questions

Yesterday evening the Careers Service held a live web chat to answer questions from final year medical students completing foundation application forms. We covered a wide range of concerns about how to answer specific questions and have now made the transcript from the chat available to view online.
See the questions asked, and the answers given [...]

Question 2 – ‘Learning Needs’ – what do they mean??

Question 2 on the foundation application form asks:
‘Give two examples of specific learning needs that you identified as part of your undergraduate medical training.’
Here is my interpretation of what they may be looking for!
What is a ‘learning need’?
A learning need can also be thought of as a development need. Something that you have identified from [...]

Slides from Foundation Application Workshop

Foundation application form workshops have now been held at four of the North West base sites. If you missed the workshop or would like to recap the notes, the slides are now available online!
See the Careers Service website’s useful downloads section and look under ‘Talks handouts’ at the bottom of the page:
Enjoy!

Foundation Application Form – Help available!

Appointments to gain advice on your foundation application  form answers are filling up rapidly!
One-to-one advice
The Careers Service has made available a full day per week of 20 minute appointments over the next four weeks for final year medical students wishing to seek advice on the answers to their foundation application form questions. It is now only half way through [...]

Documents to Ace the Application Form

What will the panel scoring your application form be looking for? How do you know what makes a great answer?
The following documents will give you all the information you need to predict the questions you will be asked. Use them to get inside the minds of the people scoring your application form and build a [...]