Category: News

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Announcements from UKFPO

Offers for 2020 will be merit based and be cascaded through the programmes depending on what you have applied for.

• If you were not allocated/did not apply to AFP the next programme you will be considered for is PFF.
• If you were not allocated/did not apply to PFF then you will be considered for FPP.
• If you were not allocated/did not apply to FPP then you will be considered for FP.

Upcoming Key Dates/Events

National Foundation Doctors Presentation Day – Winners Announced

The UKFPO and HEE South-West are delighted to announce that our National Foundation Doctors Presentation Day on Friday 10th January 2020 was a complete success! We saw a large number of high-quality presentations from some excellent Foundation Doctors.

The list of winners, including the names of the presentations, can be found here.

You can also read through the book of abstracts for all the presentations which were delivered at the Presentation Day. This can be found here.

The UKFPO would like to thank all attendees for contributing the time and effort to develop posters, attend the Presentation Day and deliver their presentations.

We would in particular like to thank Maisie Shrubsall, Foundation School Manager from the Severn Foundation School, for organising and running the Presentation Day in Bristol.

Finally, we would of course also like to convey our warm congratulations to all the winners for their insightful, creative posters and well-delivered presentations.

Volunteering Opportunities

The Social Mobility Foundation

The Social Mobility Foundation (SMF) is a charity which aims to make a practical improvement in social mobility for young people from low-income backgrounds. The SMF was founded in 2005 by Linkson Jack (who served as Chief Executive until January 2009) in order to provide opportunities and networks of support for 16-17 year olds who are unable to get them from their schools or families. More than ten years on, the first students supported by us have gone on to be successful in achieving degrees and graduate entry jobs. As well as extending support to students throughout university across our 11 career sectors (Accountancy, Architecture, Banking & Finance, Biology & Chemistry, Business, Digital, Engineering & Physics, Law, Media & Communications, Medicine, or Politics) we now run programmes to support young people wherever they live in the UK.

There are many ways to get involved with The Social Mobility Foundation and support talented young people from less privileged backgrounds to secure places at universities and get into careers which match their abilities. For more information, visit their website.

Taster Sessions

British Pharmacological Society

Have you considered a taster session in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics (CPT)?

• Clinical pharmacology is a dynamic medical specialty promoting the safe, effective and efficient use of medicines within the NHS.
• CPT trainees and consultants have diverse exciting roles in clinical practice, education, policy and research.
• Key NHS priorities are tackling inappropriate polypharmacy and the development of precision medicine and pharmacogenomics.
• Other roles include prescribing education, running of clinical trials, managing patients with poisoning and overdose, and contributing to drug regulation and safety through local policy and national organisations e.g. NICE/MHRA.
• Trainees are encouraged to develop a therapeutic area of specialism as part of a flexible portfolio training scheme.

For more information on arranging a taster session to be at the forefront of medical training in this unique specialty, please contact andrew.scourfield@nhs.net to be connected with your local clinical pharmacology centre.

To learn more about Clinical Pharmacology click here.

Seminars, Conferences, Information Sessions and Events

Discover GP Conferences

The Royal College of General Practitioners are hosting four conferences at four locations across the UK in February 2020, all aimed specifically at medical students and foundation doctors who would like to know more about a career as a General Practitioner.

Attendees will have the chance to network with leaders in the primary care world and get hands-on experience through minor surgery and clinical skills workshops. You will hear about up-and-coming models of care and exciting opportunities in partnership. You will receive direct insight into the career of a GP from trainees themselves, and newly-qualified GPs will showcase the wide variety of career possibilities available – and what you can do as an aspiring GP to set yourself apart from the crowd.

To register and to find out more information about the Discover GP Conferences, visit the RCGP website.

The dates, locations and themes of each conference are as follows:

• 01 February 2020 | University of Leeds
• 08 February 2020 | University of Dundee
• 22 February 2020 | University of Bristol
• 29 February 2020 | RCGP HQ, London

Foundation Programme Widening Participation Focus Groups

Health Education England’s (HEE) review of the UK Foundation Programme in 2018/19 considered how the programme could better support the drive to widen participation and ensure equal opportunity for anyone with the potential and desire to pursue a career in medicine. The report of the review, published in July 2019, made the commitment for HEE to “develop and consult on policy options to support Widening Participation initiatives for graduates entering the Foundation Programme”.

To take this commitment forward, HEE is conducting a series of focus groups with Foundation Programme trainees in England, who have entered medicine via an undergraduate widening participation programme or identify as having social or protected characteristics that are under-represented in medicine.

If you feel that this describes you, we would like to welcome you to attend one of our Widening Participation focus groups in February 2020, at the following times and locations:

12th February 2020, 12:30 – 14:30 – Stewart House Events Centre, London, WC1B 5DN
18th February 2020, 10:00 – 12:00 – Stewart House Events Centre, London, WC1B 5DN
20th February 2020, 11:00 – 13:00 – Sheffield Town Hall, Sheffield, S1 2HH
26th February 2020, 11:00 – 13:00 – Crowne Plaza, Birmingham, B1 1HH
27th February 2020, 11:00 – 13:00 – Novotel Southampton, Southampton, SO15 1RA

This is an opportunity to share your experiences, to highlight any challenges that you have experienced during the early stages of postgraduate training, and to put forward your suggestions for improvement.

The focus groups will run for approximately two hours, and lunch will be provided. To register your interest, visit https://healtheducationyh.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/hee-focus-groups-widening-participation. Upon registering your interest, we will contact you to confirm your place and provide further information about the focus group.

COPMeD Careers Conference

10th National Scottish Medical Education Conference

Submit Poster Abstracts Here

Do you have an interest in medical education? Submit your poster abstracts for the 10th National Scottish Medical Education Conference, to be held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on Thursday 30th April & Friday 1st May 2020.

Deadline for submission of abstracts is Midnight on Sunday 16th February 2020

We invite submissions in the following categories:

Training Delivery
Simulated & Online Learning
New Perspectives and Novel Methods in Medical Education and Training
Medical Careers – Structure & Support
Interprofessional Education
Miscellaneous

Prizes:

The top three highest scoring abstracts will be selected for a short oral presentation at the conference.

The three highest scoring posters in each category will be awarded “Poster of Distinction”.

One poster from each category will be awarded “Best Poster” following judging panel discussion during the conference.

Please send abstracts to: medicalconf@nes.scot.nhs.uk

Successful abstracts will be announced in the week commencing Monday 16th March 2020.

Academic Foundation Programme Conference

We are pleased to announce that the upcoming 2020 UKFPO Academic Foundation Programme Conference will be held on Thursday 7^th May 2020 at the University of Bristol.

The conference will be trainee-focused and will be of interest to academically minded medical students, Foundation trainees and any faculty or more senior colleagues who are involved in academic Foundation trainees. We hope the event will be of immediate practical assistance to any colleague following an academic career path, and those who are advising them.

Themes of academic research, education and leadership training will be included. There will be a focus on trainees themselves and their experiences.

Registration is open for abstract submissions. Please visit the registration page below for further details.

Evening Medical Updates 2020 from the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh Education & events programme can be found here.

Recruitment at Primary Care & Public Health 2020

Primary Care & Public Health is the UK’s leading clinical conference and exhibition held for professionals working in primary care, community and public health.

Being held on the 13th-14th, May 2020 at the NEC Birmingham, we expect over 6,000 healthcare professionals to attend, for two days of CPD learning & networking along with product and service sourcing from exhibitors.

For further information follow this link or visit the Primary Care Health website.

Applying to Specialty Recruitment – Webinars in Autumn 2020

A series of webinars have been organised to provide Foundation doctors with the information required to assist them in applying for specialty training vacancies.

Delivered by Clare Wright, National Specialty Recruitment Manager for Health Education England, the webinars will run through the entire application process, providing data on previous recruitment rounds and some top tips on avoiding problems. Whilst the information will relate specifically to recruitment for posts commencing in 2021, the webinars could still prove useful to those in Foundation Year 1 who wish to get an idea of what the recruitment process for Specialty vacancies will entail.

Sessions will take place online on the following dates:

15 September 2020, 12:30 to 14:00 hours
16 September 2020, 18:30 to 20:00 hours
21 September 2020, 18:30 to 20:00 hours
23 September 2020, 10:00 to 11:30 hours
28 September 2020, 18:30 to 20:00 hours
1 October 2020, 13:00 to 14:30 hours

Sessions will consist of a presentation, followed by the opportunity for delegates to ask questions on any aspect of the specialty recruitment process. All sessions will have the same presentation content, so there is no need to attend multiple sessions.

To book a place on a session, please email mdrs.nationalrecruitment@hee.nhs.uk stating the date that you would like to book.

OET results will be accepted as proof of English language skills

Further to the applicant guidance and person specification criteria that has been published for F2 Stand-alone posts due to commence in July / August 2020, applicants will also have the option to provide evidence of completion of the Occupational English Test (OET) to demonstrate satisfactory English language proficiency under the criteria for eligibility.

OET is an international English language test that assesses the language communication skills of healthcare professionals who seek to register and practise in an English-speaking environment, such as the NHS.

OET covers all four language skills with an emphasis on communication in a healthcare environment; listening, reading, writing and speaking. Applicants for F2 Stand-alone will be required to demonstrate evidence of a minimum score of 400 points in each of the four domains, and as part of a single sitting of the test. Evidence must be provided in the form of the official Statement of Results provided by the OET.

General Information – English Language Proficiency

For entry to F2 Stand-alone, applicants are required to have demonstrable skills in listening, reading, writing and speaking in English language that enable effective communication in clinical practice with patients and colleagues, as set out in the GMC’s Good Medical Practice (2013).

This can be demonstrated by providing one of the following: –

• A valid IELTS certificate with a minimum score of 7.5 in each domain (speaking, listening, reading and writing). IELTS certificates must be dated no more than two years prior to the start of the programme and therefore no earlier than 5^th August 2018.

• Evidence of completion of OET with a minimum score of 400 in each domain (listening, reading, writing and speaking). OET Statement of Results must be dated no more than two years prior to the start of the programme and therefore no earlier than 5^th August 2018.

• Proof that your primary medical qualification has been undertaken solely in English, that all examinations undertaken were solely in English and that your primary medical qualification has included at least 75% of contact with patients in English

• Evidence of employment as a doctor in an NHS organisation for a minimum of 3 months may be considered satisfactory. Please refer to appendices 4 and 5 of the applicant guidance for further information.

For general queries, please contact the UK Foundation Programme Office by email to helpdesk@foundationprogramme.nhs.uk

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for regular updates and news

Announcements from UKFPO

Offers for 2020 will be merit based and be cascaded through the programmes depending on what you have applied for.

• If you were not allocated/did not apply to AFP the next programme you will be considered for is PFF.
• If you were not allocated/did not apply for PFF then you will be considered for FPP.
• If you were not allocated/did not apply for FPP then you will be considered for FP.

Upcoming Key Dates/Events

Call for Papers

**NACT**

http://nact.org.uk/getfile/8885 The deadline for the Call for Papers for the Foundation Programme Event held in London on 27th march 2020 has been extended to 5pm Monday 16th December 2020 to allow enough time for all submissions!

Surveys

**F1 Induction Survey**

Dear Foundation Y1 Trainees,

Many thanks to those of you who participated in part one of the induction survey. This second survey is designed to provide further information which will be used to develop our induction programme for trainees in the future. We plan to share this information as widely as possible so your contribution could potentially make a significant difference to future trainees.

Please complete Part 2 whether you completed part 1 or not.

There is an opportunity to provide more in depth feedback as outlined in the final question.

To access the survey please log onto https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/F1-FollowUp2019

If possible, please complete the survey in one sitting since you will not be able to access it later. It should only take you approximately 5 minutes to complete. The questionnaire is anonymous and your thoughts and comments are greatly appreciated.

Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire.

Yours faithfully,

Clare (DCr JCM van Hamel – Foundation School Director)

**National Education and Training Survey**

NETS is live – have your say!

We want to hear about your experiences on clinical placement. Please take the National Education and Training Survey (NETS). https://poll.hee.nhs.uk/s/BQONS/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=SocialSignIn

e-Portfolio

**UK E-portfolios Update **

End of placement one

The majority of UK foundation doctors (FDs) rotate to their next placement on Wednesday 3 December.

Make sure the following are completed for placement one ideally by the end of December 2019:

• SLEs: 3x Mini-CEX/DOPs and 2x CBD (or 5x LEARN)
• CS/ES forms: 1x initial meeting with ES, 1s induction meeting with CS, 1x CS end of placement report, 1x ES end of placement report
• Assessments: 1x TAB (for most – placement two acceptable for some), Core Procedures (F1s only), curriculum mapping/linking
• Mandatory teaching: FDs should regularly be logging mandatory teaching
• Guidance on all requirements and forms is on the UKFPO website

Training Opportunities

**The 2^nd Annual Core Surgical Training Interview Course 2020**

Our 2nd Annual Core Surgical Training Interview Course at King’s College London in November is now fully booked. Due to the high demand of the course we are delighted to announce a second date to ensure all those interested receive the opportunity to attend. This will take place on Saturday 4th January 2020 in the Hodgekin Building, Guy’s Campus, London Bridge. Again, we will be running lectures, mock interviews and workshops, delivered by the highest ranking Core Surgical Trainees. The course had excellent feedback from 2018/19 with many of our candidates attaining run through/ top three jobs. The places are limited so if you are interested and want further information please email akahluwalia@doctors.org.uk. The deadline for applying for this course is Sunday 22nd December 2019.

**Neurosurgery ST1 Interview Course**

We are delighted to announce a Neurosurgery ST1 Interview Course. There are many of you applying for neurosurgery and we will be hosting a course consisting of insightful lectures, technical workshops and detailed feedback to give a high yield day of practice with successful Neurosurgery STs. It will take place on Saturday 11 January 2020 at Hodgekin Building, Guy’s campus, London Bridge. We are aware that the MSRA extends up to this date so if it causes a clash with many of you, we can try and make an adjustment. For further information please contact akahluwalia@doctors.org.uk.

Volunteer Opportunities

**The Social Mobility Foundation**

The Social Mobility Foundation (SMF) is a charity which aims to make a practical improvement in social mobility for young people from low-income backgrounds. The SMF was founded in 2005 by Linkson Jack (who served as Chief Executive until January 2009) in order to provide opportunities and networks of support for 16-17 year olds who are unable to get them from their schools or families. More than ten years on, the first students supported by us have gone on to be successful in achieving degrees and graduate entry jobs.  As well as extending support to students throughout university across our 11 career sectors (Accountancy, Architecture, Banking & Finance, Biology & Chemistry, Business, Digital, Engineering & Physics, Law, Media & Communications, Medicine, or Politics) we now run programmes to support young people wherever they live in the UK.

There are many ways to get involved with The Social Mobility Foundation and support talented young people from less privileged backgrounds to secure places at universities and get into careers which match their abilities. For more information, visit their website.

Taster Sessions

Have you considered a taster session in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics (CPT)?

• Clinical pharmacology is a dynamic medical specialty promoting the safe, effective and efficient use of medicines within the NHS
• CPT trainees and consultants have diverse exciting roles in clinical practice, education, policy and research
• Key NHS priorities are tackling inappropriate polypharmacy and the development of precision medicine and pharmacogenomics
• Other roles include prescribing education, running of clinical trials, managing patients with poisoning and overdose, and contributing to drug regulation and safety through local policy and national organisations e.g. NICE/MHRA
• Trainees are encouraged to develop a therapeutic area of specialism as part of a flexible portfolio training scheme

For more information on arranging a taster session to be at the forefront of medical training in this unique specialty, please contact mailto:andrew.scourfield@nhs.net to be connected with your local clinical pharmacology centre

To learn more about Clinical Pharmacology click here

Seminars, Conferences, Information Sessions and Events

**Invitation to NHS Genomic Medicine Service event**

Please hold the date of Wednesday 11 December 2019, 10am – 4pm in your diaries for an all-day workshop in central London to celebrate the work of the NHS Genomic Medicine Service over the past year and hear about and discuss future plans.

We are hoping that there will be an opening address from health minister Baroness Nicola Blackwood. Other confirmed speakers include Professor Dame Sue Hill, Professor Sir Mark Caulfield and Chris Wigley – recently appointed CEO of Genomics England Ltd. Further details of the venue, the agenda and how to register for places will be shared in due course.

** 10^th National Scottish Medical Education Conference- 30 April & 1 May – Poster Abstract Submissions **

Do you have an interest in medical education? Submit your poster abstracts for the 10th National Scottish Medical Education Conference to be held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on the 30 April & 1 May 2020.

Deadline for submission: Midnight, Sunday 16 February 2020

We invite submissions in the following categories:
Training Delivery
Simulated & Online Learning
New Perspectives and Novel Methods in Medical Education and Training
Medical Careers – Structure & Support
Interprofessional Education 
Miscellaneous

Prizes:

The top three highest scoring abstracts will be selected for a short oral presentation at the conference.

 The three highest scoring posters in each category will be awarded “Poster of Distinction”.

One poster from each category will be awarded “Best Poster” following judging panel discussion during the conference.

Please send abstracts to: medicalconf@nes.scot.nhs.uk

Successful abstracts will be announced week commencing 16 March 2020.

We are pleased to announce the upcoming 2020 UKFPO Academic Foundation Programme Conference will be held 7^th May 2020 at the University of Bristol.

Who should attend? The conference will be trainee-focused and will be of interest to academically minded medical students, Foundation trainees and any faculty or more senior colleagues who are involved in academic Foundation trainees. We hope the event will be of immediate practical assistance to any colleague following an academic career path, and those who are advising them.

Themes of academic research, education and leadership training will be included. There will be a focus on trainees themselves and their experiences.

Further details will be sent out in due course but in the meantime we would be grateful to you could please …

1. Save the date to your diary. 
2. Circulate this message and/or the attached flyer (also available in the link above) via your networks to medical students, Foundation trainees, ACFs and Faculty of all grades who are involved with Foundation trainees or academic training

If you are interested in attending please email:  helpdesk@foundationprogramme.nhs.uk

The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh Education & events programme can be found here: Education and Events programme 2019-2020