Programmes

Programmes

The Foundation Programme is a two-year, work-based training programme which is intended to bridge the gap between medical school and specialty/general practice training. It ensures that all doctors deliver safe and effective patient care.

To be eligible to apply for the 2-year UK Foundation Programme, you must be eligible for Provisional Registration with the General Medical Council (GMC).

2-year UK Foundation Programme

Information about the eligibility criteria and application processes for applicants who hold or expect to hold provisional registration with the GMC.

If you hold or expect to hold Full Registration with the GMC, you will not be eligible to apply for the 2-year UK Foundation Programme. Instead, you may be eligible to apply for other employment as a doctor. Please refer to our Careers advice and returning to practice page where you can find links to relevant resources.

Non-urgent advice: F2 Stand-alone

The UKFPO no longer recruits to F2 Stand-alone programmes on behalf of the four UK statutory education bodies. Please see the announcement in the News section for further details.

Provisional registration with a licence to practise allows you to take part in an approved Foundation Year 1 (F1) Programme in the UK. See the GMC’s Provisional registration page for more information.

If you will obtain provisional registration with the GMC and meet the essential criteria of the person specification you can apply for the two-year foundation programme.

Doctors need full registration with a licence to practise to either move on to the second year of the Foundation Programme (F2) in an approved training programme, or to work in unsupervised medical practice in the NHS or UK private practice. See the GMC’s Full registration page for more information.

You cannot apply to the 2-year UK Foundation Programme if you are eligible for full registration.

We would advise you to use the GMC’s online applicant registration tool to identify which registration status you are eligible for, and for guidance on the steps you need to take.

If you are a student at a UK medical School, the GMC should contact you towards the end of your course, but you can also use the applicant registration tool above.

If your qualification is/will be from a medical school in the European Economic Area or Switzerland, please check if you are eligible for provisional or full registration on the GMC’s website.