Foundation years, junior doctor medical training.

Foundation

Years

FOUNDATION MENU

MEDICAL TRAINING FLOW CHART

What to expect

As a foundation doctor at the Dudley Group

The UK Foundation Programme is designed to support the transition from medical student to doctor. It thus covers a crucial stage in the medical training, marking:

the acceptance of professional responsibility for the care of patients and their families/carers;
the beginning of a doctor’s working life as a qualified healthcare professional who will be a valued member of the multidisciplinary team, go on to provide leadership, and ultimately take overall responsibility for their patients’ care;
the start of the doctor’s career as an independent, self-directed professional.

The Foundation Programme must therefore provide the opportunity for newly qualified doctors to deliver the care required to meet population healthcare needs in an environment that supports the doctor’s development and protects patients. To achieve this, the programme places doctors in a series of complementary medical environments, including both acute and community settings where you work under supervision, to develop the generic capabilities that underpin the provision of both acute and long-term healthcare.

In particular, you will learn the importance of integrating with multidisciplinary teams and delivering patient-centred care. The use of varied placements offers the opportunity to acquire an essential knowledge of the breadth of modern healthcare and an understanding of the equal importance of physical, mental and sociocultural needs to health and wellbeing.

The above text has been taken from the UK-Foundation-Programme-Curriculum-2021 – ‘Purpose’ page 5-6

OUR PEOPLE, THEIR INSIGHTS
– Dr Ebelechukwu Nwokedi

Eby talks about her experiences and career progression whilst working as a foundation year doctor at The Dudley Group.

Opportunities at in our

Foundation Programme

Whilst moving through your foundation training programme, you will gain experience in the real world of medicine and surgery.

You’ll get to experience the true highs and lows of being a doctor, assisting our patients with more than just medicine. You will offer a listening ear, provide holistic support and educate people on preventative measures, providing patients with different ways of treating themselves going forward. As a foundation doctor, you are also a great support network to each other as you navigate this time in your lives and the last two years. Working through a worldwide pandemic has provided an experience like no other. You choose your rotations during the application process and are granted your choices for a two-year programme dependant on your grades.

Within your role, you also have the opportunity to take taster days or a taster week in a specialty that isn’t on your training programme, to gain experience in a new area that interests you.

The Dudley Group has a Wellbeing Champion who checks in with each foundation doctor and is available to provide support, a listening ear, and guidance where necessary. You will work on the frontline with our patients as part of the driving force of the hospital. You ultimately look after our patients and influence patient care, so your wellbeing is paramount.

Recruitment

Recruitment is generally undertaken nationally. Further details can be found on the Foundation Programme Office website.

Foundation

Year one

Foundation year 1 (FY1) introduces medical graduates to supervised responsibility for patient care and consolidate the skills that they have learnt at medical school. Foundation doctors are responsible for their learning within the programme, with the support of the Medical Education team. It is important to arrange regular meetings with supervisors, maintain a Horus e-portfolio, keep up-to-date with the required assessments and attend mandatory teaching to ensure Annual Review of Competency Progression (ARCP) sign-off.

Foundation

Year two

Foundation year 2 (FY2) doctors remain under clinical supervision, as well as all doctors in training. However, the responsibilities towards patient care increase. Management decisions are required as part of progressing towards independent practice. FY2 doctors enhance their core general skills, and work more with the wider healthcare profession. This includes nurses, medical students and less experienced doctors.

Completing FY2 will offer clinical competence, leadership and the decision-making skills and responsibilities that are paramount for hospital and general practice specialty training. On completion of FY2 doctors are awarded with a Foundation Achievement of Competence Document (FACD). This confirms suitability to enter a core, specialty or general practice training programme.

Further information specific to Dudley Group staff regarding FY1 teaching programme schedules, simulation training dates, operational meetings and the Doctor’s mess is available on our education learning platform. Select the button below to find out more.

You will be required to log in to the DGFT Medical Education platform for access.

FOUNDATION TRAINING PROGRAMME DIRECTORS

In this Trust we have two Foundation Training Programme Directors (FTPD)

Our FTPD’s are responsible for the overall management and control of the Foundation Programme years. They work alongside the local lead educators to ensure that each placement of the programme (and the programme as a whole) meets the local Health Education England area standard for training. They also ensure that each trainee is able to access a comprehensive range of experiences, which will enable them to gain the capabilities necessary for full registration and completion of the foundation curriculum.

OUR PEOPLE, THEIR INSIGHTS
– Dr Tamar Saeed

Dr Saeed talks about his experiences working in the role of Foundation Training Programme Director at The Dudley Group.

Experiences of an

FY1

AT THE DUDLEY GROUP

An insight with Aadil Sheikh

Watch this video to gain an insight into life as a foundation year doctor at The Dudley Group, based on Aadil’s experiences.

Aadil attended our Trust as a medical student during his undergraduate training and was keen to return as part of his foundation year placement. He spent time working in the maternity department, an experience that is rarely encountered amongst foundation doctors. He also worked in the haematology and oncology wards, improving his skillset in triage in addition to elective on-call and surgical procedures.

Aadil immersed himself into undergraduate and postgraduate teaching opportunities and contributed to our established reputation as a teaching hospital.

An insight with Aadil Sheikh

Inductions

and ePortfolio

FY Inductions

FY1 Trainees currently receive a dedicated induction, which includes a generic Trust induction and shadowing on the ward. FY2 Trainees have a similar arrangement before the commencement of their FY2 year.

The induction includes elements such as resus, electronic prescribing and clinical IT systems training. FY1 Trainees will receive additional sessions including clinical skills.

As part of the induction, trainees also receive a department induction specific to the rotation they will be starting. The Trust policy for taking consent can be viewed on the Trust intranet (The Hub is only accessible on hospital computers). All foundation doctors are required to sign a ‘Consent and Prescribing’ contract for the Trust at the first meeting with their Educational Supervisor.

ePortfolio

This is a key learning tool during foundation years, and is an essential and mandatory requirement that provides an audit of progress and learning. Trainees must engage with their portfolio at the beginning of FY1.

It is the responsibility of all FY trainees to ensure the timely completion of all assessments. The foundation manager will regularly review portfolios throughout the year.

All Foundation Schools in England use Horus, which is provided by Health Education England.

What is Horus?

All foundation doctors are required to use an electronic portfolio (e-portfolio) during their foundation training. There are two providers used to deliver the Foundation Programme e-portfolio across the UK: NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and Health Education England (HEE) – the e-portfolios are known respectively as Turas and Horus.