Foundation Programme 2009: The recruitment processSeptember 2008

FP 2008 Challenges and issues

Challenges More applicants than places Increasing global applications and medical school

output Reduced central funding for foundation posts New clinical assessment in placeIssues Tooke Report Refugee doctor applications One medical school – lower % of applicants who

got their first choice

100% of UK grads were placed into programmes

92.4% got their first choice foundation school

6902 applicants were allocated to 7248 posts

Greatly increased satisfaction with online system by applicants

FP 2008 Successes

FP 2009 - changes considered

National interviews National metric Application completed under exam

conditions Application form plus machine-markable

questions administered under exam conditions

Any major changes to the recruitment process must be piloted prior to roll-out

FP 2009 – changes agreed

Changes made: Recommended by:

Eligibility requirements for grads of non-UK med schools tightened

GMC/NHS Employers & foundation schools

Score breakdowns to be released online

UKFPO Med students/BMA

Linked applications UKFPO Med students/BMA

Clinical assessments – lower fees, earlier notification

Clinical assessment applicants

Revised special circumstances criteria

BMA/med schools/foundation schools

Quartile scores (34/36/38/40) UKFPO Med students/BMA, agreed by Medical Schools Council

Academic/application scores split 40/60

UKFPO Med students/ BMA

Applications - 100 points (max)

Academic Ranking - 40 points (maximum)

• Academic ranking is calculated by each medical school:

•First quartile (the top 25% of the year) = 40 •Second quartile = 38 points•Third quartile = 36•Fourth quartile = 34 points

• Medical schools inform students of their academic ranking before 27 October

Application questions - 60 points (maximum)

• There are seven questions.

• Each question has an individual score and a word limit.

Part 1

Part 2

The application process

NATIONAL 1. Eligibility checking (complete)2. Online registration and

enrolment3. Submission of online

application form4. Scoring criteria5. Allocation to foundation

school

LOCAL6. Matching to a programme

within the school7. Pre-employment checks

Getting started (from 13 Oct 08)

Registration and enrolment

Applicants must register online before they can apply: www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk.

You must type your details in exactly as you supplied them to your deanery/medical school.

Once registered, an activation code link will be emailed to you. After clicking on the link to activate your account, applicants can enrol in the FP 2009 recruitment round.

Application form (27 Oct – 7 Nov 08)

The application form is divided into 8 sections:Personal (name, contact details, etc)Qualifications (educational qualifications)Clinical skills (self assessment of your own practical

and clinical skills)Equal opps (equal opportunities monitoring

information)References (details of 2 senior clinicians)Questions (7 questions which will be scored)Preferences (ranking all foundation schools in order of

preference)Submit

Linked applications

On the application form, there is an option to link your application to one other person’s application

You can link to anyone: friend, partner, spouse However, she/he has to want to link with you, too! You will be allocated to foundation school based

on the lowest scoring applicant’s score You are only linked to foundation school level,

not to programme Once you submit your applications, you

cannot unlink them! Please note: If you have been approved for pre-allocation to a

foundation school based on your special circumstances, you cannot link your application

Application form (27 Oct – 7 Nov 08)

The application form is divided into 8 sections:Personal (name, contact details, etc)Qualifications (educational qualifications)Clinical skills (self assessment of your own practical

and clinical skills)Equal opps (equal opportunities monitoring

information)References (details of 2 senior clinicians)Questions (7 questions which will be scored)Preferences (ranking all foundation schools in order of

preference)Submit

This is the only section that will be seen

by the scorers.

Application form

Information on how to complete the application form and advice on answering questions will be detailed in the Foundation Applicant’s Handbook available on the UKFPO website (www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk) from 13 October.

Advice on Question 1: List your educational achievements is on the next slide to help you prepare a list of achievements in advance.

Question 1: Educational Achievements

PART 1 – additional postgraduate degrees, not including your primary medical qualification. This section is worth up to 5 points. All additional degrees count, no matter the subject.

These include BSc, BA, BMedSci, BDS, MSc, MA and PhD.

You can only get credit for one additional degree. If you have 5 BScs, and one MA, you get credit for the MA as it

attracts the highest number of points

The better you did in a degree, the higher the number of points available

A 1st class degree will give you more points than a 3rd class degree

Question 1: Educational Achievements

PART 2: Publications, prizes and presentations. This section is worth up to 3 points. You get up to 1 point for each of the following:

Publications in a peer-reviewed journal where you are listed as a named contributor

Prizes or bursaries at a national level Presentations or posters at national conferences

where the applicant is the 1st or 2nd named contributor

PLEASE NOTE: The majority of medical students will score “0” for Question 1.

Preferences: Ranking foundation schools

Check the Foundation Applicant’s Handbook for competition ratios for 2007 and 2008.

2007 - over 93% of applicants got into their first choice foundation school.

2008 - over 92% of applicants got into their first choice foundation school.

Linked applicants must rank their foundation school preferences in the same order or the link is broken.

View the details of individual programmes within the foundation schools online from 13 October.

Scoring (17 Nov – 5 Dec 08)

Applications are scored by your first choice foundation school.

Each question will be scored individually by a panel of two people, at least one of whom is a clinician.

Panels will not know your identity, academic ranking or scores you received for other questions.

You will be asked to confirm that the answers are your own work. Plagiarism software can identify where some form of standard answer has been used.

A random sample of 5%-10% of applicants will be asked to verify the answers they provide on their application form.

Verification

If you are selected for verification, you will receive either an email or a letter asking you to supply proof to verify your answers.Some schools will list exactly the information they

require, others will ask to you to submit evidence of all your answers in whatever way you see fit.

The majority of those of you who are asked to provide verification are from the random sample. However, if a scorer has any doubts about the veracity of an answer, you will be asked to verify the answers in your entire application form.

Verification (17 Nov – 5 Dec 08)

We need you to verify: Appropriate evidence would include: Question 1 Your Bachelor of Dental Surgery

(BDS) Certificate

Question 2 1. That you continued to work as a locum registrar, 2. That you have a teaching position at Dublin Dental School

1. Evidence of employment as a locum registrar at St James' hospital (payslip, headed letter from employer), 2. Evidence of appointment as a teacher at Dublin Dental School (letter of appointment)

Question 3 That your father in law was critically ill and you broke the news to your relatives

Copy of father in law's letter from hospital, Letter of Confirmation from GP regarding his illness, Personal letter from a relative confirming you broke the bad news to them which should be addressed and signed

Question 4 That your involvement with the diabetic patient whilst on elective was as you described

Evidence of your elective in a Paediatrics Hospital in Canada, Testimony from team member that you were involved in the care of this patient, Anonymised patient notes, Notes from reflective journal

Question 5 That you completed your elective in Southampton assisting in the resuscitation of a patient

Evidence that you undertook your elective in Southampton, Notes from reflective journal, Testimony from team member that you were a member of the response team with this patient

Question 6 That you interviewed a patient with depression whilst on your Psychiatry rotation

Evidence that you completed a Psychiatry rotation, Testimony from supervisor that you interviewed the patient with depression, Notes from reflective journal, Anonymised patient notes

Question 7 That you witnessed the two patients with headaches as you described

Evidence of the placement where you observed the care of the two patients, Testimony from the supervising consultant that you were observing, Notes from reflective journal

Example of verification request.

Please note that you would not have to provide all evidence listed, but just a selection.

Please note that foundation schools will have their own local process for verification.

Verification

If you are unable to verify your answers, the foundation school director may require you to attend an interview to discuss your answers.

Applicants unable to verify the veracity of their answers to the satisfaction of their foundation school will be removed from the recruitment round and referred to the GMC.

Plagiarism checks

Applicants must confirm that the answers to the application questions are their own

Plagiarism software will check answers to ensure that they are not duplicated

If evidence of plagiarism is found, applicants will receive a letter asking them to verify their answer. If they cannot, they will be withdrawn from the recruitment system.

Using examples heard in lectures will constitute plagiarism. The situations you use in your answers must have been experienced by you personally.

Allocation and matching

Allocation to foundation school (6 Jan 09)

Applicants are allocated based on their preferences first, then application score.

Matching to programme (3 Mar 09)

Applicants are matched to programme based on their score first, then preferences. (Highest scoring applicants get first pick).

Pre-employment checks

Pre-employment checks include Criminal Records Bureau checks, occupational health checks and may include a structured interview or assessment of clinical skills

These checks are undertaken on behalf of the employing healthcare organisation. Contracts of employment will not be issued until they checks are successfully completed and will begin as soon as the applicant is matched to a programme.

Employment contracts

The employing healthcare organisation is responsible for all contractual issues including:PayBanding RotasAccommodation

Planning and preparation

Read the person specification and timeline available online now.

Collect dates and titles of relevant qualifications, publications, presentations, posters and prizes.

Ask two clinicians to act as referees and ask them to supply an email address they access regularly. They can be practicing GPs, Consultants or Associate Specialists.

Planning and preparation

Print a copy of the Foundation Applicant’s Handbook from the website and use it to help complete the form (from 13 Oct)

Book at least three sessions in your diaries. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time and don’t leave it until the last minute.

Write your answers first in MS Word, spell check, then copy and paste into the application form.

Data security

The application website is secure and has undergone rigorous checks.

Applicant data is protected under Data Protection legislation and will only be used by those involved in the recruitment process in the way specified in the terms and conditions of the website.

Scoring panels will only be provided with the answers to the questions and the applicant number. All other information is held on a secure database and passed to employers for pre-employment checks once an offer of a training place has been made.

Important dates

13 Oct 08 Application form published Foundation Applicant’s Handbook availableApplicants can register and enrol onlineProgramme information

27 Oct – 7 Nov 08 Online system open for applications* 6 Jan 08 Foundation school allocations are made

9 Feb 08 Preferences for training programmes are submitted (deadlines and methods will vary by foundation school)

3 Mar 08 Matching to specific programmes is completed and applicants notified of results

*Late applications will not be accepted.

Where to go for more info

for further details on the application process

answers to frequently asked questions

a list of foundation schools with weblinks

to sign up for regular e-updates

Go towww.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk