The transition from medical student to consultant can be a long, but extremely rewarding pathway. It sees you progress from student to foundation doctor, to specialty trainee before finally being awarded your certificate of completion of training (CCT) and taking up your first consultant post.
Introducing...
the foundation years
The early years of your medical career are an ideal time for setting your foundations and building your support network. Over the next few years you will have
opportunities to explore different specialty areas of medical and surgical training and find the one that best suits you.
You should make the most of these years:
• Find out as much as you can about the different specialties
• Speak to and learn from consultants and specialists working in the profession
• Make the most of the range of awards and scholarships on offer to help expand your experience and expertise
• Take advantage of resources available to you at your university, hospital and Royal College
Learn/Achieve/Network/Engage/Advance
What to expect
The two years that follow graduati on from medical school are known as the Foundati on Years. At the end of Foundati on year 2 (FY2) many doctors will progress to Specialty Training in a medical or surgical specialty. Others may decide to work in General Practi ce or complete an academic training programme.
On completi on of FY2, you will receive a Foundati on Achievement of Competence Document (FACD), which is required for progression to Specialty Training. The applicati on process for Specialty Training commences during FY2.
CONSULTANT FELLOWSHIP MEMBERSHIP ASSOCIATE IN TRAINING MEMBERSHIP INTRODUCTORY MEMBERSHIP SPECIALITY TRAINING
CORE AND SPECIALITY TRAINING FOUNDATION YEARS OMPLETION OF TRAINING ( C CT) / FELL O W SHIP EX AM AM
If you choose to progress to the early years of Specialty Training (ST1/ST2), someti mes called Core Training (CT1/CT2), you will work towards your MRCP(UK) or MRCS examinati ons – you are required to sit these exams before you progress to the later stages of specialty training. These examinati ons are typically completed at the end of the second year of specialty/core training.
These membership examinati ons are the minimum requirement to become a Member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow and mark a major milestone in your career.
EDUCATION, TRAINING, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND MEMBERSHIP SUPPORT
CONSULTANT FELLOWSHIP MEMBERSHIP ASSOCIATE IN TRAINING MEMBERSHIP INTRODUCTORY MEMBERSHIP SPECIALITY TRAINING
CORE AND SPECIALITY TRAINING FOUNDATION YEARS MEDICAL STUDENT CER TIFICA TE OF C OMPLETION OF TRAINING ( C CT) / FELL O W SHIP EX AM F OUND A TION A CHIEVENT OF C OMPETENCE DOCUMENT GRADU A TION MRCP (UK) / MRCS EX AM
Learn/Achieve/Network/Engage/Advance
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow is the only Royal College refl ecti ng the real life, multi disciplinary approach to pati ent care.
Our membership of more than 10,000 physicians, surgeons, dental practi ti oners, travel medicine and podiatric medicine specialists makes us a very powerful voice across educati on, examinati on and infl uence.
Also, because we are not ti ed into running courses and informati on sessions for physicians only or surgeons only, it can be of real benefi t to young doctors who have not yet fully committ ed to a medical or surgical specialty and are sti ll going through foundati on year hospital rotati ons.
Whether you choose to specialise in medicine or surgery, or have yet to decide, membership of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow is available to you at every stage of your career from undergraduate medical student right through to consultant. Download an applicati on form here: htt p://rcp.sg/introduceme
Introducing… Our College
“I used my College travel scholarship to spend a period of
research at the University of Oxford. This work would not
have been possible without the support of the College. I am
tremendously grateful and encourage other junior College
Members to apply”
Introductory Membership
Our Introductory Membership package offers a fantastic range of benefits specifically tailored for medical students and foundation year doctors which will enable you to learn, achieve, network, engage and advance your career.
This includes:
• Discounted education
• Opportunities to get yourself known – through networking, writing for College News, and joining the Trainees Committee and other committees
• Financial support through our awards and scholarships
• Free library access and support, including an Athens account
• Careers evenings
• Preferential hotel rates
• Ongoing information and support in person, on the phone, by email, on social media – if you ask us we will answer. If we don’t know the answer, we’ll find out!
Learn/Achieve/Network/Engage/Advance
Please read on for more detailed information on how membership of our College can help you to get the best out of your student and foundation years.
We off er a wide range of relevant educati onal courses for doctors in the early years of training. These courses are heavily discounted for members – in fact, someti mes the discounts off ered are more than the introductory membership costs (but please, don’t tell anyone!).
Taking part in our events can increase the chances of you getti ng your dream job by showing your commitment to your chosen speciality.
Some of the clinical and non-clinical programmes we off er include:
PHYSICIANS
• MRCP(UK) preparatory courses
• IMPACT courses
• Anatomy programme
• Acute NIV courses
• Glasgow Medical Undergraduate Symposium
• Case Reports in medical receiving
• State of the Art Medicine Symposium (SAMS)
SURGEONS • Foundati on skills
• Basic surgical skills
• MRCS preparatory courses
• Anatomy programme
• Surgical anastamosis techniques
• Surgical updates
• Core skills in soft ti ssue and bone surgery
• Glasgow University Surgical Society
• Foundati on in criti cal care in surgery
• Glasgow Emergency Surgery and Trauma Symposium (GESTS)
ALL
• Regular multi disciplinary specialty symposia
• Careers evenings
• Examinati on techniques
• What specialty’s for me?
• Law series
• Mentorship programme
• Think Lead Develop Succeed workshop series
We also regularly run symposia and events based around specifi c topics. All of our courses typically come with CPD points att ached.
Learn
While our educati onal courses and events will enable you to advance your skills and experti se, access to our extensive library catalogue and resources will enable you to advance your knowledge. We have teamed up with the Scotti sh Health Libraries Catalogue and the Knowledge Network to ensure you have access to the widest range of medical, surgical, and dental resources available.
As a member, you will be issued with an Athens account. This will enable you to access a vast amount of password-protected content from more than 6,000 full text journals,
80 databases and 5,000 electronic books.
Your Athens username and password, along with access via the Knowledge Network makes it much quicker and easier to search for informati on, access journals and full text arti cles, and so on, from a single point.
We believe we have got one of the best medical libraries in Scotland and our support is second to none. If there is an arti cle, journal or text book that you have not been able to fi nd yourself, our library team will do their very best to fi nd it for you. We can also help with literature searches and inter-library loans.
You are also welcome to make use of our library in person to access the range of medical textbooks, journals and reference material to support your studies. You are welcome to access our PCs, photocopying, printi ng and scanning equipment and make use of our free wi-fi .
Achieve
Learn/Achieve/Network/Engage/Advance
“By completing the excellent surgical courses run by the College I
have been appointed to a specialty research post in my chosen fi eld.
The College has friendly and easily accessible staff and there is good
access to the library and journals to help with my research”
The power of networking should not be underesti mated. Much knowledge can be gained from your peers, while putti ng yourself out there and getti ng yourself known can open new opportuniti es.
Be seen
We run a range of symposia and events throughout the year focusing on specifi c specialty areas, such as cancer or paediatrics. Many of these are CPD-based events and provide a great opportunity to network with professionals working in specialist areas of medicine or surgery, while building CPD for your portf olio.
We also hold a number of social events throughout the year, which provide an opportunity to mix with your peers in a more relaxed, informal setti ng – because someti mes the best relati onships are built over a drink!
You don’t need to live in Glasgow to make the most of your membership. We have regional advisors located throughout the UK, who are there to support you throughout your training. They also run events in locati ons across the UK, providing opportuniti es for you to network with like-minded colleagues close to home.
Be heard
Our Trainees Committ ee welcomes young doctors and surgeons across the spectrum from undergraduates to those in the later stages of specialty training. The Committ ee plays an important role in the College by helping to infl uence and guide educati on and training to suit your peer group. Membership of the Committ ee will give you a voice in shaping the future of the profession.
Opportuniti es to join other committ ees, such as the Membership Services Board, are also available and provide a chance for you to get involved and really make a diff erence in College life.
Network
As an introductory member of our College, you will receive regular communicati ons from us including our quarterly College News magazine. You are also welcome to join conversati ons on Facebook and Twitt er.
College News is a valuable informati on resource for keeping up to date with what is going on in the College. We acti vely encourage contributi ons from our members and are always open to story ideas, off ering a good opportunity for you to get your name in print.
Quick, easy access to informati on is also available via our Twitt er and Facebook platf orms, which are essenti al tools for keeping informed about day to day acti viti es in the College and other aspects of medical and surgical training.
Follow us @rcpsglasgow
Like us www.facebook.com/rcpsg
Engage
Presenti ng at conferences, gaining experience at centres of excellence and travelling to internati onal medical centres can set you apart.
We off er scholarships and awards to help you progress your research, enhance your knowledge and skills and widen your experience by visiti ng other countries. Our medical electi ve scholarship enables medical students to spend four to six weeks studying abroad as part of their electi ve study within the medical school curriculum. Six awards worth £1,000 each are awarded annually.
Please note this Medical Electi ve Award is currently only open to students at Scotti sh universiti es.
Advance
Final Year Medical Student
During your fi nal year at University, you will need to do some of the groundwork to ensure you do not miss out on a placement on a foundati on programme aft er you graduate. The table below highlights some of the key tasks to complete during your fi nal year at university to prepare yourself for postgraduate training.
Typical dates
Register for the foundati on programme and complete October the online applicati on form:
www.foundati onprogramme.nhs.uk
Take the Situati onal Judgement Test (SJT) December-January Noti fi cati on of applicati on outcome and allocati on February-March of Unit of Applicati on (UoA)* if successful
Ranking of programme preferences. Deadlines vary by UoA March-April
Apply for provisional GMC registrati on May
Receive your contract of employment. June-July
Your employer will complete pre-employment checks prior to issuing the contract
Register for medical/legal insurance. July
Three UK companies off ering insurance are: Medical Defence Union (MDU), Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland (MDDUS), and the Medical Protecti on Society (MPS). Please see the glossary at the back of this booklet for web links
Useful dates
ResourcesThroughout your foundation years, you will have opportunities to experience a range of different medical and surgical specialties. Typically, your position in the hospital will rotate every three-four months. You also need to be wary of important registrations and renewals to ensure your training remains uninterrupted.
Typical dates
Apply for full registration with the GMC with a licence May to practice and receive your Certificate of Experience
Submit the Certificate of Experience and your FY1 June competence sign-off form (form 5.1) to your
university/Foundation school/deanery
Renew your medical/legal insurance for F2 July
Foundation Year 1
Resources
During Foundation Year 2 you will start gearing up for progression into core/ specialty training. Competition for Specialty Training posts is tough and you will need to ensure you are fully prepared.
Typical dates
Register for the Specialty Training application process on October www.mmc.nhs.uk for posts in England, Wales and Northern
Ireland and/or www.scotmt.scot.nhs.uk for posts in Scotland
Round 1 Specialty Training (ST) posts advertised November Submit round 1 ST recruitment application December
Attend ST interviews January - February
Round 2 ST posts advertised February
Round 1 ST offers issued – accept, hold or
decline your offer. Consider round 2 options March Pay GMC Annual Retention Fee. This fee can be set up as a July direct debit with the GMC
Foundation Achievement of CompetenceDocument received July You will need this to progress to Specialty Training
Renew your medical/legal insurance for CT1/ST1 July Enrol with the JRCPTB* (physicians) or JCST* (surgeons) July
Foundation Year 2
*As a member of our College, you will be able to combine your College subscription fee with the JRCPTB/JCST payments, saving you time and inconvenience. These fees are tax deductable.
AoMRC (Academy of Medical Royal Colleges)
www.aomrc.org.uk
BMA (Briti sh Medical Associati on)
www.bma.org.uk
COPMED (Conference of Postgraduate Medical Deans of the UK)
www.copmed.org.uk
GMC (General Medical Council)
www.gmc.org.uk
ISCP (Intercollegiate Surgical Curriculum Programme)
www.iscp.ac.uk
JCST (Joint Committ ee on Surgical Training)
www.jcst.org
JRCPTB (Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board)
www.jrcptb.org.uk
MMC (Modernising Medical Careers)
www.mmc.scot.nhs.uk
MRCP(UK) (Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK)
www.mrcpuk.org
MRCS (Membership of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons)
www.rcpsg.ac.uk
NACPME (Nati onal Advice Centre for Postgraduate Medical Enquiries)
www.briti shcouncil.org/iran-science-health-and-medicine-nacpme
NES (NHS Educati on for Scotland)
www.nes.scot.nhs.uk
MEE (NHS Medical Educati on England)
Independent advisory non-departmental public body. www.mee.nhs.uk
NHS Quality Improvement Scotland
ARCP (Annual Review of Competence Progression)
Structured assessment strategy to ensure standards have been achieved. Find details in the Gold Guide.
Gold Guide
An electronically available ‘living’ document (regularly updated) that acts as a reference guide for postgraduate specialty training in the UK.
www.mmc.nhs.uk
NDPB (Non-departmental public body) A body which has a role in the process of nati onal government but is not a government department, or part of one, and which operates to a greater or lesser extent at arm’s length from ministers.
Postgraduate Deaneries
Training for doctors who have completed their pre-registrati on year is coordinated and delivered through local postgraduate deaneries.
www.nhscareers.nhs.uk
QAFP (Quality Assurance of the Foundati on Programme)
Monitors whether the Standards for Training for the Foundati on Programme which are contained within The New Doctor 2007 and the Outcomes
Useful informati on
NHS ePortf olio
www.nhseportf olios.org
Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland (MDDUS)
www.mddus.com
Medical Protecti on Society (MPS)
www.medicalprotecti on.org/uk
The Defence Union (MDU)
www.themdu.com
232–242 St Vincent Street Glasgow G2 5RJ, UK T: + 44 (0)141 221 6072 E: [email protected]
www.rcpsg.ac.uk
