General
What is the F2 Stand-alone Programme?
F2 Stand-alone programmes are one-year fixed-term posts. Applicants must hold or expect to hold full registration with the GMC by the start of the programme in August.
Who should apply for Stand-alone programmes?
Stand-alone programmes are available for applicants who hold or are eligible for full registration with the General Medical Council (GMC). Stand-alone programmes provide an opportunity for overseas graduates who qualify with full registration to enter the training system in the UK. Stand-alone programmes do not provide an opportunity for current F1 doctors to move locations part-way through their two-year training programme.
I am currently working as an F1 doctor as part of a two-year foundation programme, am I eligible to apply for F2 stand-alone?
No. Doctors who are already working as part of a recognised two-year foundation programme are not eligible to apply for F2 Stand-alone posts. F2 Stand-alone programmes are available for overseas graduates who would otherwise struggle to enter training in the UK.
If your circumstances have changed and there are specific reasons as to why you need to transfer to a different programme for your F2 year, you may be eligible to apply for a transfer based on set criteria. Please refer to the Inter-Foundation School Transfer (IFST) guidance available on the UKFPO website.
I don’t meet any of the criteria to be considered for an Inter-Foundation School Transfer (IFST), but I’m really not happy and do not wish to continue my existing programme, what options are available to me?
We would strongly advise you to speak to your Clinical and / or Educational Supervisor depending on your concerns. There will be support mechanisms available for you to access within your existing foundation school and / or employing organisation as appropriate.
I really want to move to London to complete my second year of training, should I apply for F2 Stand-alone?
No. Current F1s are not eligible for F2 Stand-alone recruitment. In any case, very few F2 posts become available in London due to oversubscription at F1 level / to the two-year programme.
Do I need to sit the Situational Judgement Test (SJT)?
All applicants who meet the longlisting criteria will be required to undertake the Situational Judgement Test (SJT) as part of the recruitment process. The highest scoring applicants will be invited to interview, which will further assess clinical competence.
The Situational Judgement Test (SJT) is a test for employment and not a medical school exam. It forms part of the selection process for entry to foundation training to test the attributes needed to work as a doctor.
For more information on the SJT, please review our SJT FAQs.
Do I need to undertake a clinical assessment?
No. This is not a requirement for recruitment to stand-alone programmes.
Do I need to submit an eligibility application?
No. This is not a requirement for recruitment to stand-alone programmes.
What is the expected start date for stand-alone posts? Would I be able to delay my start date?
All stand-alone posts commence at the start of the foundation training year at the beginning of August (typically the first Wednesday of the month). Stand-alone posts are fixed-term for one-year and the curriculum for foundation training is both time and competency based.
All foundation doctors will need to undertake the full year of training in order to achieve the requirements of the curriculum. If you are unlikely to be able to start a position you have accepted an offer for, you are advised to contact your allocated foundation school at the earliest possible convenience.
Are foundation doctors working in stand-alone posts required to undertake the Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA)?
All foundation doctors are required to pass the PSA. F1 and F2 stand-alone doctors who have not previously passed the exam will be given the opportunity to sit the PSA during the course of the training year in September, March and May.
Will there be any other opportunities to apply for foundation training posts?
All recruitment to foundation training posts is managed by the UK Foundation Programme Office.
Foundation schools do not recruit to training posts separately. There may be Locum Appointment for Service (LAS) posts available for you to apply to. LAS posts are temporary posts without a recognised training component and are not usually assessed for the competencies required to complete a Foundation Programme. You would have a clinical supervisor, but not an educational supervisor. These posts are usually advertised by individual employing organisations (hospital trusts) via www.jobs.nhs.uk.
I have previously worked as a foundation doctor but didn’t complete the programme. Do I need to notify you of this?
Any applicant who has previously resigned or has been removed from foundation training or a one-year standalone programme will be required to declare this on their application form and submit a reapplication to foundation training form. However, you can only apply if you have or expect to hold full registration with the GMC.
Applicants should upload the completed and signed form to the ‘document upload functionality’ in Oriel by the deadline for applications.
Application Form
How do I submit my application?
All applications should be submitted through the Oriel (national online application system). Applicants can access Oriel via https://www.oriel.nhs.uk. Applicants are advised to start their applications early to allow sufficient time to complete the necessary sections of the application form and to gather evidence in support of their application.
All applicants must first register an account on Oriel before applying to a particular vacancy. Applicants for the Foundation Programme must register under the ‘Foundation’ staff group by selecting the ‘UK Foundation Programme’ logo icon on the homepage.
How do I provide the evidence of fitness to practice?
This is a self-declaration part of the application form. It is expected that most applicants will not have anything to declare. You will only be required to provide information if you have been subject to disciplinary proceedings whilst at medical school or during your training.
How will my clinical knowledge and skills be assessed?
This section will be assessed during the interview rather than the application form. Applicants will be asked at least one clinical scenario as part of the interview process.
Is there an option to link stand-alone applications?
No. Linking only applies to the allocation process to the two-year Foundation Programme. Applicants for F2 stand-alone posts will not be able to link their applications.
What should I include in work experience? Do I need to include internships?
Work experience is any employment undertaken after medical school.
How many employment references are required?
You must provide contact details, including e-mail addresses, of three referees who have supervised your clinical training during the last two years of your employment or undergraduate training. One referee must be your current or most recent consultant or educational supervisor.
NHS pre-employment checks require your NHS employer to take up references spanning the last three years of your work and education. You may be required to provide further referee details to your NHS employer, if appointed.
What qualifies as a reference?
A person who has supervised your clinical training in the last two years of your employment or undergraduate training. One referee must be your current or most recent consultant or educational supervisor.
Can I use a consultant testimony from other paid employment?
No. Evidence of a minimum of three months paid employment as a clinician in the NHS is required. This experience must be demonstrable at the time of application.
Consultant testimonies will be accepted for work in both general practice and hospital settings. Please be advised that this evidence will not be accepted if it relates to employment on an ad-hoc locum basis.
Do I need to sit the PLAB test?
If you graduated from a medical school outside of the UK, EEA or Switzerland, you’ll probably need to take the PLAB test. For more information please visit our GMC registration FAQs and the GMC website.
My referee is not receiving the reference request, what should I do?
You can check the contact details of your referee on Oriel. You can also change referee details yourself on Oriel up until the referencing window closes or the reference is submitted, whichever comes first.
If the referee details are correct, please email helpdesk@foundationprogramme.nhs.uk so we can look into this for you.
What evidence of English Language proficiency is required?
Please review Appendix 4 of the F2 Stand-alone Guidance and our English Language Eligibility FAQs, which contain detailed information on what can be submitted as evidence of English Language proficiency.
Please note, evidence of English Language proficiency must be submitted at the time of application.
Longlisting
What does longlisting entail?
The UKFPO will carry out a central process of longlisting in accordance with the eligibility criteria, which can be found on page 8 of the F2 Stand-alone guidance.
When do I need to have completed ILS by?
Applicants are required to provide evidence of a valid ILS certificate or equivalent by the start of the programme.
If you do not have ILS or equivalent at the point at which you accept an offer. You are advised to discuss this with your foundation school and / or employing organisation at the earliest opportunity. Your employer might be able to arrange for you to undertake ILS shortly after you commence in post.
What certificates are acceptable equivalents of ILS and how long are they valid for?
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) – valid for 4 years
Advanced Life Support (ALS) – valid for 4 years
Immediate Life Support (ILS) – valid for 1 year
When will I be notified if I have been longlisted?
Please refer to the F2 Stand-alone guidance.
Interviews
What will the interview involve?
Each panel interview will be scheduled for a duration of 20 minutes. Applicants will be asked a series of questions, including a clinical scenario.
Interview panels will consist of at least 2 panel members who are familiar with the curriculum and assessments of the UK Foundation Programme. At least one panel member will be a clinician.
How will interviews be conducted?
All eligible applicants will be required to attend an interview as part of the recruitment process. All interviews will be conducted virtually through Microsoft Teams using video technology.
Applicants will also be required to show photographic identification at the start of the video interview and move the camera around the room so that the panel can ensure that the applicant is alone. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure a robust internet connection and a suitable, quiet location to conduct the interview.
When will I be notified of my interview outcome?
Please refer to the timeline in the F2 Stand-alone guidance.
All applicants will receive a breakdown of their scores for each interview question and detailed feedback from the panel. There will be no opportunity to appeal the outcome of the interview.
What happens if I have technical issues during the interview?
The onus is on the applicant to ensure they have stable connection throughout the interview. If there are disruptions on the applicant’s end, the interview will not be rescheduled or extended.
Offers & Preferencing
When is the preferencing window?
Please refer to the timeline in the F2 Stand-alone guidance.
There will be no further opportunity for applicants to rank programme preferences or to amend their preferences in Oriel once the deadline has been reached.
I missed the preferencing window, what happens now?
You will be randomly matched to programmes in rank order secondary to applicants who actively ranked programmes in the ‘preference’ column.
How does the offers process work?
All applicants will be given a unique rank based on their interview score.
Applicants will receive offers based on a meritocratic algorithm whereby the highest scoring applicant will be matched to their highest programme preference choice available. The system will attempt to match applicants to their highest choice in the first instance and work through the list of preferences in rank order.
When will the offers window run?
Please refer to the timeline in the F2 Stand-alone guidance.
There will also be a clearing process conducted later in the timeline.
How long do I have to respond to an offer?
Applicants have 48-hours to respond to their offer. If the deadline to either accept or decline the offer is missed, the offer will expire and will automatically be declined. No further offers will be made.
I have accepted my offer but no longer want it, what should I do?
You will need to withdraw from the whole process and if you wish, reapply next year. Please email helpdesk@foundationprogramme.nhs.uk to withdraw.
Oriel
How do I register on Oriel?
To set up a new account and register, go to www.oriel.nhs.uk. All applicants must first register an account on Oriel before applying to a particular vacancy. Applicants for the Foundation Programme must register under the ‘Foundation’ staff group by selecting the ‘UK Foundation Programme’ logo icon on the homepage.
For further FAQs about Oriel, please refer to our Oriel FAQs page.
How do I view my SJT score?
Your SJT score can be found in the ‘Application Summary’ on Oriel.
Right to Work
How can I obtain right to work in the UK?
If the applicant is not a UK national, they must be in a position to demonstrate that they have the right to work as a doctor in training in the UK by the start of the programme. Applications from doctors who require Tier 2 sponsorship are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.
For more information on Right to Work, please visit our Right to Work/Visa FAQs or the Home Office website.
Please note, HEE and the UKFPO are not qualified immigration advisors and cannot offer immigration advice.