Clinical Assessment
Applicants who qualified from medical school on or before 2 August 2021 must also undertake an assessment of their clinical skills in the UK prior to being granted full eligibility.
The primary purpose of the Clinical Assessment (CA) is to determine fitness to start Foundation Programme (FP) training for an applicant who qualified from medical school more than two years prior to the start of the foundation programme. The assessment will be undertaken by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. Candidates will sit a set of 12-station Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) in approximately four hours.
The clinical assessment will be held on 8, 9 and 10 November 2022 (each applicant is only required to attend on one of these days). The CA is a requirement of UKFPO and therefore alternate OSCEs are not accepted or can be substituted.
Description of the Clinical Assessment
The assessments will be undertaken by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. The team at Manchester has many years of experience of assessment and Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), from theoretical design, through evaluation to the practical provision of information to candidates. All candidates will sit a 12-station OSCE. Each station is 10 minutes long, including 1 minute of preparation time.
All candidates will sit this assessment in one session (approximately four hours). Instructions will be posted outside each station, giving clear guidance about the task to be performed at that station. In line with our current practice, care will be taken to ensure accessibility and to avoid discrimination against candidates with disabilities or those whose first language is not English.
Applicants who are required to undertake a clinical assessment will be required to pay the full cost of £850 by 26th August 2022, 12:00 midday BST and this is non-refundable.
The examinations will differ from day to day to maintain test security but will be based on a similar blueprint. Candidates sitting the examination in the morning or afternoon will be ‘quarantined’ to ensure they cannot come into contact with each other. Candidates are not permitted to use their mobile phones during this period.
Dates and Venue
Each candidate will be notified of the specific date and time of their assessment on 19th September 2022, when they will also be supplied with more detailed information, including directions to the venue. The assessments take place at Wythenshawe Hospital, part of the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. The hospital has excellent facilities for running an OSCE of this size and has many years of experience in this field.
Simulated Patients
These will be selected from the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust’s pool of highly experienced simulated patients. All have undergone training in standardisation for OSCEs and will be trained specifically for the roles within these assessments.
Educational Impact
Candidates will be given a written report, analysing their performance on a station-by-station basis. As the stations are explicitly linked to many of the Foundation Programme Curriculum competencies of the F1 year, this will provide useful information for candidates on their strengths and weaknesses as they enter the Foundation Programme. Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust is working closely with their colleagues in the North West of England Foundation School to ensure that the questions authentically represent the current NHS working environment.
Reasonable Adjustments
Reasonable adjustments are practical changes to the delivery of the Clinical Assessment that mitigate the effects of particular applicants’ characteristics and/or circumstances, for example, a disability, health condition or impairment, or religious observance, on their ability to undertake the assessment, without changing the requirements of the assessment. No adjustment will be made to the standard of the Clinical Assessment or the score achieved by any applicant.
Applicants can apply for reasonable adjustments on the grounds of the following criteria:
i. a long-standing learning disability
ii. long-term or permanent physical disability, health condition or impairment
iii. temporary health condition or impairment, or acute flare-up of a long-term health condition
iv. other, for example, religious observance
Please refer to the reasonable adjustments guidance.
If you require Reasonable Adjustments, you must inform the UKFPO via email at helpdesk@foundationprogramme.nhs.uk by the deadline on 31 August 12:00 midday (BST).
What feedback will be provided to attendees on the day of their assessment?
Candidates will not be told at the time they attend for the OSCEs whether they have passed or failed the assessment. Clinical Assessment outcomes and feedback released to applicants on the 23 November 2022.
Appeals
Information about the appeals procedure will be available on the UKFPO website before the start date of the assessments. Appeals will only be accepted about the process and not about academic judgement.
Non-urgent advice: Clinical Assessment – more information
To view more information about the Clinical Assessment, please visit the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust website.
Applications for UKFP 2023 (FP, Specialised Programmes and FPP)
Applicants who are eligible or eligible with conditions must apply for the two-year programme for 2023 on Oriel from 7 September – 20 September 2022 (12:00 midday BST). Information regarding the application process is available in the UKFP 2023 Applicants’ Handbook on the UKFPO website. Applicants will have the option to apply for specialised and foundation priority programmes as part of the two-year application form.
Situational Judgement Test (SJT)
All applicants are required to sit the Situational Judgement Test (SJT). These dates will be published on the website once confirmed. You will be able to book a test date and time online, and choose the location of the test, which will include the option to sit the test remotely, that is, from home. Test spaces will be available on a first come first served basis. You are advised to book your test at the earliest opportunity. For further information, please refer to the Applicants’ Handbook. If applicable, applicants can apply for reasonable adjustments for the SJT.
Reasonable Adjustments for SJT
Reasonable adjustments are practical changes to the delivery of the SJT that consider individual characteristics or circumstances that may affect an applicant’s ability to take the SJT, without changing the demands of the test, for example, a disability, health condition or impairment, or religious observance. Further information regarding the SJT and reasonable adjustments is available on the UKFPO website and UKFP 2023 Applicants’ Handbook.
Pre-Allocations for Personal Circumstances
Applicants can apply to be pre-allocated to a particular foundation school on the grounds of personal circumstances if they meet the criteria. Requests for pre-allocation and supporting evidence must be submitted with the two-year application form during the national application window – 7 September – 20 September 2022 (12:00 midday BST). Further information is available in the Applicants’ Handbook.
Non-urgent advice: Important
You must rank your requested foundation school as first preference on Oriel, otherwise your application for pre-allocation will not be considered. Please refer to the Applicants’ Handbook for a map of the UK which shows where the foundation schools are located. If you require any specific advice, please contact the UKFPO at: helpdesk@foundationprogramme.nhs.uk
Appeals
Applicants have the option to appeal the outcome of their eligibility application. Please refer to the appeals guidance. The appeals application form will be available on the website during the specified appeals window. If you have any queries regarding appeals, please email appeals@foundationprogramme.nhs.uk.