From August 2005, all UK medical graduates will need to complete the Foundation
Programme in order to work as a doctor in the UK.
The application process
In October 2005, an advertisement in the medical press will invite candidates to apply
to their first choice ‘Unit of Application’ (UoA). This UoA will usually be a postgraduate
deanery, or a foundation school within the deanery.
There are three stages in the application process:
1. Making your choice. Choosing your first preferred UoA and ranking the other
UoAs you want to apply to
2. The application. Writing and submitting your application
3. The waiting. Waiting for the outcome of your application as it is being scored at
each UoA.
1. Making your choice
Key information about the training offered and the process for applying to each
UoA, including the closing date for application, will be available on the website of
each postgraduate deanery (
www.mmc.nhs.uk/deaneries).
There are two ways in which your placements for F1 and F2 will be allocated.
Although the process of allocating placements may vary, you will have exposure to
clinical and educational environments that will allow the achievement of the
competences required to complete foundation training.
One of the main aims of foundation training is to give you the opportunity to
experience as wide a range of specialties as possible. This will ensure that you are
able to learn the generic skills that every doctor needs regardless of their area of
practice, and will help to inform your future career choice. Time spent in different
specialties will provide useful experiences and opportunities to obtain first-hand
knowledge of a broad range of specialties.
The specialty placements you undertake during foundation training will not have a
direct bearing on your future selection to specialty training. This means that even if
you do know what you want to do, it will not be essential to do a job in that
specialty. There will also be a chance to explore career options through additional
taster experience
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