Foundation Programme 2009: The recruitment process September 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 place Issues  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 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 applicationsUKFPO 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 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 enrolment 3.Submission of online application form 4.Scoring criteria 5.Allocation to foundation school LOCAL 6.Matching to a programme within the school 7.Pre-employment checks

Getting started (from 13 Oct 08) Registration and enrolment  Applicants must register online before they can apply:  You must type your details in exactly as you supplied them to your deanery/medical school.  Once registered, an activation code link will be ed 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 ( 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 1 st class degree will give you more points than a 3 rd 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 1 st or 2 nd 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 over 93% of applicants got into their first choice foundation school 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 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) 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:  Pay  Banding  Rotas  Accommodation

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 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 08Application form published Foundation Applicant’s Handbook available Applicants can register and enrol online Programme information 27 Oct – 7 Nov 08Online system open for applications* 6 Jan 08Foundation school allocations are made 9 Feb08Preferences for training programmes are submitted (deadlines and methods will vary by foundation school) 3 Mar 08Matching 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 to