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ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

To be eligible to apply for a GP Specialty Training you will need…

  • To hold a recognised primary medical qualification
  • To be fully registered with the UK GMC at the time of application OR passed both parts of PLAB and be eligible for full UK GMC registration at time of application
  • To have recently achieved Foundation Competency (see below)
  • To be able to demonstrate proficiency in English language
  • To hold a current driving licence OR be able to provide a satisfactory alternative as a means of providing emergency and domiciliary care
  • To be able to legally work in the UK

All applicants will be assessed against the competencies outlined in the National Person Specification which can be accessed from our download section. Please see below for detailed guidance about how you can demonstrate evidence of achievement of Foundation Competency.


Evidence of Foundation Competences

The 2011 person specification for entry to all specialty training programmes (including FTSTA posts) requires applicants to provide evidence of achievement of Foundation competences between 1st August 2008 and 3rd August 2011 in line with GMC standards/Good Medical Practice including:

  • Good clinical care
  • Maintaining good medical practice
  • Good relationships and communication with patients
  • Good working relationships with colleagues
  • Good teaching and training
  • Professional behaviour and probity
  • Delivery of good acute clinical care

All applicants to Core or Specialty training at CT1, ST1 or FTSTA level must demonstrate all the competences without exception using the prescribed evidence as outlined below and on the MMC website

Possession of foundation competences is essential for successful applicants to cope with, and progress through specialty training. Demonstrating foundation competences also ensures that doctors can practise safely in line with GMC standards. To achieve this, it is crucial that this submitted evidence is current. It is not sufficient to have achieved each competence once. Competences must be achieved, maintained and demonstrated.

The acceptable methods for demonstrating foundation competences are listed below. No other evidence will be accepted as previous experience has shown it to be unreliable. For example, specialist qualifications do not demonstrate the breadth of foundation competences and candidates are not typically readily able to cope with the first year of core or specialty training. Candidates who did achieve foundation competences in the past but since then focused their career in a small specialised area would also find it difficult to cope in the first year of core or specialty training. The broad spectrum of foundation competences must be demonstrated to qualify the candidate for entry to year one of core or specialty training. It is the candidate’s responsibility to satisfactorily demonstrate that this criterion has been fulfilled.

 

Demonstrating Achievement of Foundation Competences (updated for 2011)

There are a 3 ways you can demonstrate your achievement of foundation competency. The application form will ask you a series of questions to help you determine the most appropriate form of evidence. Your answers to these questions will also allow us to assess your eligibility to apply for a GP specialty training programme and you will be expected to provide standardised documentation to verify your answers.

This guidance is provided to help you to prepare your 2011 application.

  • If you are currently undertaking a recognised foundation programme in the UK which is due to finish in August 2011, we will ask you to confirm the name of your Foundation School. You do not need to do anything else. Any offer of a programme will be conditional upon you successfully completing this programme and being awarded an FACD 5.2 before August 2011. If you are undertaking a “stand alone” FY2 post that is NOT part of a recognised foundation programme attached to a UK foundation school, then you must answer NO to this question on the application form (Are you currently on a UK Foundation Year 2 Programme?) and you will be required to submit alternative evidence as detailed below.
     
  • If you have already completed a UK foundation programme within the last 3 years (since 1st August 2008), we will ask you to confirm that you have been awarded an FACD 5.2. You MUST attach a scanned copy of your FACD 5.2 to your application. You will be expected to provide the original certificate at a later date.

  • If you have not undertaken a UK foundation programme within the last 3 years, you will be able to submit alternative evidence by asking a consultant who has supervised you for at least 3 months since 1st August 2008 to attest to your achievement of foundation competences. (For the purposes of this documentation, consultant includes GPs, Clinical Directors, Medical Superintendents and anyone on the specialty register). There are two Alternative Certificates available for download; one for specialties WITH acute medical responsibilities and one for specialties WITHOUT acute medical responsibilities. A list of specialties with acute medical responsibilities is available below. You may submit more than one Alternative Certificate from different posts in order to show evidence of achievement of all competencies but all certificates must relate to posts undertaken for at least 3 months since August 2008. You MUST attach scanned copies of the certificates to your application form.
     
  • We expect ALL doctors applying to a specialty training programme to have had a least 24 months experience in certain posts, either in the UK or overseas, since gaining their primary medical qualification and before commencing a specialty training programme. You will be asked to confirm that you have...
     
    • 12 months satisfactory completion of either a pre-registration, internship1 or FY1 post AND 12 months full time satisfactory completion in posts approved for the purposes of medical education by the relevant authority.

      OR
       
    • 12 months satisfactory completion of either a pre-registration, , internship1 or FY1 post AND 12 months full time experience at a publicly funded hospital in at least two specialties with acute medical responsibilities as shown in List “A” of the List of Specialties (see below).

      OR
       
    • 12 months satisfactory completion of either a pre-registration, internship1 or FY1 post AND a 12 month full time FY2 post.

An internship is a period of pre-graduate or post-graduate clinical experience that provides an accepted foundation for future practice as a fully registered and licensed medical practitioner. Internships must be either a 12 month programme that includes a minimum of 3 months in surgery and 3 months in medicine OR a programme of at least 10 months duration that includes a minimum of 3 months in surgery and 3 months in medicine with an additional study period of up to 2 months OR the equivalent of 12 months full time post-qualification at a publicly funded hospital in at least two branches of medicine.
 

  • With regard to the Alternative certificates, please note that:
     
    • The signatory does not necessarily have to personally witness the demonstration of every competence, but he or she must be able to judge whether the evidence they have seen/had presented to them demonstrates competence. The Deanery/Specialty have no discretion in this regard.
    • The post the certificate refers to must be of at least 3 months duration (whole time equivalent), has to have been completed by the time of the submission deadline and undertaken within the 3 years before the post starts.
    • Clinical attachments do NOT count as experience.
  • If you are unable to provide any of the above because, for example, you have not worked since 1st August 2008 then you are advised to secure a second year UK foundation programme post before applying for a specialty training programme. Alternatively, you could secure a post that will enable you to demonstrate foundation competency to a consultant who could then provide you with an "Alternative Certificate", eg. A locum or Trust post.
     
  • We understand that refugee doctors may have less access to standardised documentation and in rare cases may not be able to obtain an "Alternative Certificate". If you are unable to provide any of the above because of your refugee status, you should contact your first choice postgraduate deanery for advice before submitting your application form. Refugee doctors will be required to provide an Alternative Certificate wherever possible.


Download Alternative Certificate A - (for posts with acute medical responsibilities)
Download Alternative Certificate B - (for posts without acute medical responsibilities)
Download List of Specialties with Acute Medical Responsibilities here

Note: Applications for August 2011 must use the 2011 Alternative Certificates. Previous documentation from 2010 or earlier will not be accepted.

 

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Page last updated: 03-09-2010
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