Hospital doctor : Training

All medical students graduating from medical school embark on a two-year Foundation Programme , undertaking a series of placements in different specialties and healthcare settings. The first year (F1) builds upon the knowledge, skills and competences acquired in undergraduate training and generally offers three placements in different areas of work, ideally medicine, surgery and another specialty.

The second year of foundation training (F2) builds on F1 but offers the opportunity to diversify more, with the main focus being on the assessment of key competencies and management of the acutely ill patient in different settings. It is again usually made up of three four-month placements, frequently including one placement in a less common specialty (e.g. psychiatry, cardiology), academic medicine or general practice, helping the trainee to make a decision about which specialty training programme to pursue.

Doctors qualify for full registration with the General Medical Council (GMC)  when they have successfully completed foundation year one (F1), having gained provisional registration following medical school. When F2 is completed a Foundation Achievement Competency Document (FACD) is received.

During the foundation years increasing responsibility for patient care is given. Initially, work will be closely supervised by more senior doctors, but more responsibility will be taken on as experience is gained.

Doctors coming out of foundation training will need to apply for specialty training programmes to become Specialty Trainees (STs) or Speciality Registrars (StRs). Person specifications for specialty training are available on the Medical Specialty Training  website.