Foundation Training

F1 Grade

 

Summary

The title Pre-Registration House Officer became Foundation Year One (F1) from August 2005 when foundation programmes commenced.

Medical graduates are required by the General Medical Council (GMC) to complete twelve months as a provisionally registered doctor in recognised Foundation Year One posts. Provisional registration is arranged by graduates through their own medical school.

The Postgraduate Dean at the Yorkshire Deanery acts on behalf of Leeds Medical School in supervising the education and training of graduates in Foundation Year One. In accordance with General Medical Council regulations, the Postgraduate Dean at the Yorkshire Deanery ensures that foundation programmes within the two Yorkshire Foundation Schools meet the GMC's criteria for approved training. Each Foundation Year One programme in Yorkshire is assessed for continuing educational approval. All Foundation Year One programmes will be for one year and will normally consist of 3 x 4 month posts.

 

How does F1 recruitment take place in Yorkshire?

Appointment to the two Foundation Schools West Yorkshire Foundation School (West Yorkshire Foundation School) and North Yorkshire and East Coast Foundation School (North Yorkshire & East Coast Foundation School) is through the national appointments process into which all UK medical students are automatically entered. Once matched to a Foundation School through the national foundation recruitment process, F1 posts within the foundation school are allocated via a further matching process.

Details of the appointments process can be found on the Yorkshire Deanery 'Appointments Process and Vacancies' webpage.

Foundation School Directors organise the local recruitment process held during F1 year to appoint F1 doctors to their F2 posts. All F1 doctors working at the hospitals within a foundation school are eligible to enter the local process. The F2 post will be at a different hospital within the same foundation school.

 

An informal 'Job Fair' is held in the Sports Centre at Leeds University in June each year (proposed dated Friday 6 June 2008) to which Leeds Medical School students (and external students), the foundation schools representatives, medical personnel and consultants from hospitals in Yorkshire involved in the appointments process are invited. Each Foundation School has a stand which students can visit to ask questions and collect information on the hospitals and general job descriptions for F1 programmes. The Yorkshire Deanery also has a stand at the Job Fair. A lecture may take place prior to the start of the Job Fair. Leeds students will be sent details of the event by email, and details will be included on our webpage 'Appointments Process and Vacancies'.

 

Job Shadowing

All Leeds Medical School students undertake a period of job shadowing which is built into their final year curriculum. Medical students who have achieved a post outside a Yorkshire hospital should arrange their job shadowing via their own medical school. There is an Undergraduate Co-ordinator at each hospital who organises shadowing.

 

‘The New Doctor’

The General Medical Council has published guidelines covering foundation programmes entitled “The New Doctor”. It can be accessed via the GMC website www.gmc-uk.org under the section 'Medical Education'.

 

Assessment and Validation

F1 doctors in Yorkshire hospitals use the national learning portfolio or e-portfolio and the Yorkshire Deanery supplement during their two year foundation programme. Please view the information on our Appraisal and Assessment webpage Appraisal and Assessment. The national assessment tools used are those piloted and validated by Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) as follows:-

  • CbD (cased based discussion
  • DOPS (direct observation of clinical skills)
  • mini-CEX (clinical evaluation exercise)
  • mini PAT (peer assessment tool) See the link below to the relevant website.

Feedback is completed by trainees at the end of each placement by completing Placement Assessment Forms which are forwarded by the trainee to the Yorkshire Deanery. A RITA (record of in training assessment) form is completed at the final summative assessment at the end of the F1 year. Successful completion of the RITA (together with the correct number of Placement Assessment Feedback Forms and Certificate of Experience) will be evidence that the doctor is able to apply for full registration with the GMC.

 

Recruitment from F1 to F2

All F1 doctors working at the hospitals within a foundation school are eligible to enter the local recruitment process run by the Foundation School. Doctors will be notified of the details of the process during their F1 year. The F2 post will be at a different hospital within the same Foundation School.

How to get in touch

Dr Michael Harran, Associate Dean for Foundation Programme via his secretary Janet Wilson, and Ms Jacqui Lewis, Administrative Officer for Foundation Training, can be reached by email.

 

Starting Foundation Training Late

Foundation training commences in August annually. Most UK students who are re-sitting finals are not able to enter foundation training part-way through the year. They wait and enter the next national online recruitment process and commence their foundation training the following August. If a student passes their re-sit they can undertake locum work but this does not count towards foundation training.

One exception is North Yorkshire and East Coast Foundation School, where students can take up the post allocated to them through the national online recruitment process after they have taken and passed re-sits but, as with locum work, the time will not count towards foundation training. Such students should enter the next national online recruitment process to be allocated to a post commencing the following August.

The West Yorkshire Foundation School does not currently permit students to start late after re-sitting final examinations.