Medical specialty training
After successful completion of the Foundation
programme doctors are awarded the Foundation Programme Certificate
of Completion (FPCC).* They are then able to go on to training in a
chosen specialty, or general practice (GP) training.
Training programmes differ in length and
structure according to specialty:
- General practice lasts three years.
- Other specialties can last 5-8 years.
Length of training can also depend on your rate
of achievement of competencies. It can also depend on whether you
take time out eg Out of Programme Research (OOPR), or if you train
less than full-time (LTFT).
Types of training
programme
There are a number of different types of
training programmes which are different for each specialty:
Run-through training
Entry to some specialties is very competitive.
Competition ratios show numbers of applications received against
posts available.
For some specialties training is through a
run-through programme. Doctors only have to apply once, at the
beginning of the programme, and are recruited for the full duration
of the specialty training.
Uncoupled training
Other specialties consist of core training and
then competitive entry into higher specialty training.
The length of core training can differ:
- core training for two years - eg Core Medical Training and Core
Surgical Training
- core training for three years - eg emergency medicine and
psychiatry
The length of higher specialty training will also differ per
specialty. Entry to some specialties is very competitive.
*NB until August 2016 this was called the
Foundation Achievement of Competency Document (FACD).
