Foundation Programme
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The Foundation Programme is a two-year structured programme of workplace-based learning for junior doctors that forms a bridge between medical school and specialty training. The programme aims to provide a safe, well-supervised environment for doctors to put into practice what they learned in medical school. It provides them with the generalist medical knowledge and skills to meet the requirements of the General Medical Council (GMC) The New Doctor (2007) and the Foundation Programme Curriculum (2007) and prepares them for entry into specialty training. All medical graduates must undertake, and complete the Foundation Programme in order to work as a doctor in the UK.
Unfortunately applying for said foundation programme is a complete shambles. In 2013 applicants were informed of whether they had got jobs and if so what area of the country they would be working in on Monday the 25th of February only to have these jobs taken away from them on Tuesday the 26th of February. This was because of a failure in marking one aspect of the application process: The SJT exam (a multi-guess exam which is pointless and forms 50% of an applicants overall score for jobs). The error was due to them using electronic marking answer sheets and failing to manually check when candidates had rubbed out answers. Now medical schools are being asked to mark candidates sheets themselves. The words couldn't organize a p**s up in a brewery spring to mind...
The programme was first proposed by England’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Liam Donaldson in 2002 in his document Unfinished Business and replaces the old Pre-Registration House Officer year and the first year of the Senior House Officer grade. Introduced as part of a series of initiatives under the Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) umbrella, the programme aims to ensure that foundation doctors develop and enhance their clinical and generic skills at the same time as exploring a range of career options.
A website set up by the UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO) is used as a source of information for all those involved in foundation training: http://www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk/pages/home
There is a website to help students compare all UK Foundations Schools - Foundation Schools Chooser: http://foundationschools.info