ApPLICATION PROCESS STEPS
The application process goes like this:
Application
LONGLISTING
INTERVIEW
Deemed Appointable / Not
Ranking of posts according to applicant's preference
OFFERS
2ND ROUND OF OFFERS
3RD ROUND OF OFFERS
CLEARING OFFERS
DoctorInTheUK
FOUNDATION PROGRAMME
To apply to the UK Foundation programme you need to get familiar with their official website. Below we are listing some of the options mentioned there, which will most likely apply to you. If you are a European medical school graduate, you will most likely be eligible for a full registration and license to practice.
According to the UKFPO: ‘You are not eligible to apply for the UK Foundation Programme if you obtain, or expect to obtain, full registration by the start of the UK Foundation Programme’. Instead, your options include:
- FY2 Stand-alone: A one-year programme, available to candidates who will be eligible for full registration by the time the post commences. At the end of the programme, a CCFP (Certificate of Completion of Foundation Programme) will be provided.
- Foundation Priority Programmes (FPP): There are a number of programmes that are located in typically hard to fill geographies or that include less popular specialties. These posts will be recruited into before the national allocation process, with the intention of increasing accessibility for those applicants who preference these posts higher. Incentives will also be available, including offerings of postgraduate qualifications, mentorship and financial inducements. This is not a different programme that you apply to- it merely has to do with location and you can select to go to one of these schools during the ranking of posts (after the interviews).
- Psychiatry Foundation Fellowship Programmes (PFF): These are newly-introduced, 2-year fellowships, created in collaboration with the Royal College of Psychiatrists. They last for the duration of the Foundation Programme and are aimed at applicants keen to pursue a career in psychiatry or would like greater exposure to all psychological aspects of medicine.
- Academic Foundation Programme (AFP): Academic programmes are recruited to locally, by individual Academic Units of Application (AUoAs). Each AUoA determines its own scoring criteria and process for an interview. All offers are made at the same time in accordance with the national timeline by each AUoA. Queries in regard to the selection process and offers for AFP should be directed to the relevant foundation school.
All applications must be submitted through Oriel NHS under the ‘foundation’ staff group (please refer to appendix 2 for further information on how to access and search for vacancies on Oriel).
Our advice is to check the Applicant guidance for the programme you are applying to, bearing in mind the options above.
- FY2 Stand-alone Applicant guidance 2020
- Applicant’s Handbook 2021 (look under UKFPO 2021 Key Documents section)
Below is the Timeline for Stand-alone FY2 starting August 2021. You can use it as a reference and plan around it.
- TIMELINE for Stand-alone FY2 August 2021 commencement (See page 11 & page 8-2nd table)
The UKFPO currently hosts a series of webinars and applicant presentations outlining the application process and requirements for 2021. Visit their website for more.