Transcript Successful Applications For Foundation Training 2007

Successful Applications For
Foundation Training 2012
Careers Consultants University of Manchester &
Dr Ella Checkley – Foundation School Careers
Lead
September 2011
Admin
Helping you to apply for your Foundation
Year posts – 3 step process
Workshops to
prepare for the
Application Process
and Careers Forums
North West Deanery
Foundation
Application Fair
Using your portfolio to
prepare for Foundation
Year Application and
Careers Forum
STEP 3
STEP 2
STEP 1
Programme
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Introduction
Know the process
What to do before you start your application form
Application form in detail
Checklist and Golden rules
Further sources of help available
Exercise
F2 doctors presentations plus Q & A panel
Foundation Application Process
• Foundation Programme
– 2 year training programme
• At National Level
– National timeline
– UK-wide single online application system –UK Foundation
Programme Office (UKFPO) www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk
– Fair and open competitive process
– National scoring guidance & national person specification
– Applications scored by panel from your first choice Foundation
– Allocation to Foundation School
At Local Level
– Selection of programme preferences
– Allocation to a programme within a school
– Pre employment checks
Changes to the process for FP
2012
• Applicants are required to upload documentation to support
information given for educational achievement points
• Educational achievements will be machine-marked. The uploaded
evidence will be verified during a national verification day and the
scores confirmed (note fewer than 50% of students score points)
• If, as expected, there are more fully eligible applicants than
vacancies, applications from individuals who cannot provide
evidence of their right to work and remain in the UK will not be
considered
• Applicants will be allocated to foundation schools in score order. If
their first choice is not available, the system will look at their second
choice, and so on down their list of preferences until a space is
available
FP 2012 – What’s new?
PRE – Situational Judgement Test (SJT)
Applicants are expected to complete the FPAS application form
PLUS a one hour invigilated SJT
SJTs will:
take place at UK medical schools on either 11 Nov, 28 Nov, 9
Dec or 9 Jan. Schools will provide details of date, time and
venue
give you the opportunity to practice SJT questions, which are
being used for selection in an increasing number of
specialties
NOT have any bearing on your FPAS score, nor on your
allocation to foundation school or programme
FP 2012 – What’s new?
PRE – Educational Performance Measure (EPM)
Medical schools will be producing an EPM score for each student
as part of the PRE
The UKFPO will provide the EPM score for non-UK applicants
The EPM score will:
be calculated by your medical school using the methods they
are planning to use for FP2013
be used confidentially for the purposes of analysis
NOT have any bearing on your FPAS application score, nor
will the information be used to determine your allocation to
foundation school or match to programme
What happened last year?
• 100% of UK grads were placed in programmes
• Over 90% got there first choice of Foundation
School
• 97% of applicants from the NW got their first
choice of Foundation School
• All Manchester students who put NW as 1st
choice Foundation School got it
• Approx 60% of applicants from the NW got their
first choice of programme
Timeline
Step 1 Deadline for submission of requests for pre 29 September 2011
allocation due to special circumstances
Step 2 View all programmes on FPAS
3 October 2011
Step 3 Enrol
3-10 October 2011
Step 4 Complete online application form
10-21 October 12 noon
Step 5 Applications scored
31 0ct-18 Nov 2011
Step 6 Primary list allocation
8 December 2011
Step 7 Reserve list batch allocations
March – July 2012
Step 8 Pre-employment checks
April- July 2012
How does it all work?
Application form divided into 8 sections
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Personal
Name and address
Qualifications
educational
Clinical skills
self assessment of your own practical and clinical skills
Other (equality & diversity)
will be used by employers to build a demographic profile of their workforce
Key questions (this is the only part the panel will see)
6 questions which will be scored
References
Your references (x2) must be clinicians
Preferences
You must rank 24 foundation schools( check Applicants handbook for competition
ratios from last year)
Submit
Confirm application is completed and all information is correct and your own work
You will be able to save your application at any time and come back to it at a later date
during the application timeframe
What we do know:
• Broad areas questions will focus on
– (Note: questions are likely to be very similar to
last year – no major changes until 2013)
• Types of things scorers are looking for
What we don’t know:
– Marking criteria/mark scheme
Understand the background
• “Foundation programmes are designed to give basic
competence in professional skills like communication,
teamwork and the use of evidence and data. You will be
expected to demonstrate increasingly sophisticated skills
in these areas throughout the foundation programme.”
• “You will be responsible for your own learning.”
• “You should consider every activity a chance to learn
something new.”
Rough Guide to the Foundation Programme, Ch 1.
www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk
Person Specification for 2012
Person Specification for 2012
Foundation Application 2011
6 Questions
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Educational achievements
Impact of team working on quality
of patient care.
Clinical situation with opportunistic
learning experience
FY1 Prioritising tasks scenario
Communicating with patients clinical situation involving
challenging cultural, social or
family circumstances
Two personal achievements
demonstrating ability to deal with
pressure and prioritise
Preparation well in advance
• Start thinking about your application now
• Think self-promotion…this is your chance to sell yourself
• Read and understand the requirements of the National Person
Specification (UKFPO web site) and Good Medical Practice
• Identify any gaps in your skills and abilities – action plan!
• Be proactive – seek out opps to practice/improve existing skills
- Seek out opps to shadow/ expand skills and
experiences
• Network – meet and talk to current Foundation doctors
• Document and reflect on best practice/significant learning/critical
incidents – evidence from portfolio
• Focus on achievements and results – develop a profile of your skills
particularly relevant to Foundation Training
• Practice answering last year’s questions
• Identify referees and seek permission to use them
What about Referees?
You will need to provide names and contact details of two
referees
• One reference must be from a practising hospital consultant,
GP or associate specialist who is able to give an opinion of
your clinical skills.
• One reference must be from your medical school. This might
be a professor, senior lecturer, lecturer, reader, director of
clinical studies or a person holding an honorary medical
school contract as advised by your medical school.
• You may use referees outside of the UK as long as the
referee is able to comment on your performance.
Why Portfolio matters
• As an ideas generator
• Which example will enable widest
coverage of all aspects of the question?
• Make it verifiable
• Engagement with personal reflection is a
valuable skill for your future CPD…
and may influence career direction
Documents needed to Ace the
Application
• The New Doctor (2009)
www.gmcuk.org/education/postgraduate/new_doctor.asp
• Good Medical Practice (2006)
www.gmc-uk.org/guidance
• Medical students: professional behaviour and fitness to
practise
www.gmc-uk.org/students
• Person Specification
www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk
• Foundation Applicants Handbook 2012
• www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk/pages/home/keydocuments
Application forms – the basics
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Give yourself plenty of time
Read through the whole form before starting
Draft your answers in rough in word
Cut and paste but proof read
Complete all the sections – don’t cross ref
Grammar and spelling...check!
Tone - upbeat , positive and focused
Short, sharp sentences – no long prose passages
Complete and comprehensible sentences
Must be your own work
Submit in good time
keep a copy of your form!
Application forms – evidence
based/blank box questions
• Select recent, relevant examples
• Quantify and be specific – analyse the event
• Describe your behaviour, not us, we and the team, what
did you contribute?
• How and why? – personal insight and reflection
• Focus on results – what difference did you make? What
was the outcome?
• What did you achieve/learn/insights gained?
• Structure your answers…think CAR:
Context – Action – Result
How is your form scored?
• Questions 2-6 marked horizontally by panels of
2 initially from 1st choice Foundation School.
Max 10 points.200 words
• Scorers know your applicant number and the
answer to one question only
• A nationally agreed mark scheme is used
• Whole form marked by at least 10 people
• Marked by another panel if can’t agree
• Random sample benchmarked with another
Foundation School
• Verification letter/meeting if concerns
Question 1
Question 2
Question 3
We need you to verify:
Your Bachelor of Dental Surgery
(BDS)
1. That you continued to work as a
locum registrar, 2. That you have a
teaching position at Dublin Dental
School
That your father in law was critically
ill and you broke the news to your
relatives
Question 4
That your involvement with the
diabetic patient whilst on elective
was as you described
Question 5
That you completed your elective in
Southampton assisting in the
resuscitation of a patient
Question 6
That you interviewed a patient with
depression whilst on your Psychiatry
rotation
Question 7
That you witnessed the two patients
with headaches as you described
Appropriate evidence would include:
Certificate
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)
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
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
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
Evidence that you completed a Psychiatry
rotation, Testimony from supervisor that
you interviewed the patient with
depression, Notes from reflective journal,
Anonymised patient notes
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
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.
Teamwork Example
Possible plus points
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Appropriate example
Detailed explanation
Shared team goal
Collaboration
Motivates others
Aware of own skills &
limitations and the
skills of others
• Compromises
Possible Minus points
• Neglects others’
views
• Own agenda
• No collaboration
• Dominates team
• Failure to share
responsibilities
according to skills
• Failure to recognise
team contribution
Effective team working can have a significant impact on the quality of the patient experience.
Describe a clinical case you have observed where there has been a multi-disciplinary approach to
discharge planning. Describe how the interactions between the multi-disciplinary team impacted on the
quality of the patient’s care. What have you learned from this experience about effective multidisciplinary team working and how will you put this into practice as a foundation doctor?
A 64-year-old man presented with ascites resulting from chronic liver failure, requiring
recurrent drainage. While in hospital he became malnourished, after several failed
NG-feed attempts. He wished to be discharged, believing his appetite would increase
once at home. However, his wife felt unable to cope with his care. A meeting was
called to discuss how to optimise patient care after discharge.
The nurse presented relevant patient information. The social worker was then able to
co-ordinate care between the occupational therapist and community dietician, who
organised a bed and commode for the ground floor at home and monitored the
nutritional status, ensuring a safe living environment. The patient, carer and each
MDT member were involved and made aware of their roles and the care to be
provided.
The organised and consultative approach alleviated the patient and carer’s anxieties.
In a multi-disciplinary team, a leader is essential to manage and communicate
effectively between all specialists involved to ensure optimal care, with the patient’s
health, safety, and comfort being of paramount concern.
As a foundation doctor I recognise limitations in my professional competence and will
respectfully utilise healthcare professionals to provide well communicated, tailored
support for discharge planning; addressing patient and carers concerns.
(200words)
You are the only foundation doctor on a busy surgical ward, and you feel under pressure to complete
the tasks expected of you. A foundation doctor from another surgical team asks if you will hold their
bleep for the second time this week as they want to go to theatre to observe an operation. What would
your initial response be to your colleague? What factors would influence this response? If you had to
hold the bleep, how would you prioritise the tasks? What additional learning needs does this situation
highlight for you?
My initial response would be that I regret that I cannot take the bleep, as I am already
under pressure and I feel the additional responsibilities would jeopardise patient care and
safety.
Factors that will influence my response involve how many patients I am caring for already,
the stability of their condition, my workload and the urgency of the doctor’s request. I
recognise supporting colleagues is important but providing quality care is ultimately my
priority.
If I have to hold the bleep, I would attempt to negotiate a compromise, asking for the
theatre number, so my colleague can be contacted if I require help. A clear concise hand
over will be essential to differentiate stable from unstable patients. I would prioritise tasks
in terms of urgency, monitoring the acutely ill more closely, utilising other appropriate
healthcare professionals, to maximise work efficiency.
This situation highlights the need to have good management skills. It is necessary to use
initiative to prioritise tasks but also recognise when to seek additional help, to provide the
best standard of care . As a foundation doctor I will also need to proactively advance my
own learning by attending theatre, clinics and being involved in audits and research.
(200 words)
What makes a good answer?
• Answer each part of the question clearly and fully.
• Choose an appropriate example that demonstrates what the
question is looking for.
• Use facts & figures to set the scene – help scorer appreciate
significance to you
• Describe specific actions and outline results
• Explain how – demonstrate your approach (more than just listing
what you did)
• Assess the impact of your (others if observation) contribution
• Demonstrate skills which are directly relevant to foundation training
• Show an awareness of principles of Good Medical Practice
• Show a positive attitude – willing to learn from experience/mistakes
• Show
- analysis
- reflection
- insight/learning
Mind your language - Use action
verbs wherever possible…
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Achieved
Advised
Audited
Co-ordinated
Managed
Organised
Tested
Taught
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Led
Conducted
Initiated
Developed
Prioritised
Liaised
Negotiated
Analysed
For example…
“ A group of colleagues and I took part in an audit
project into outpatient waiting times. After looking at the
data we found a number of weaknesses in the booking
process and subsequently made changes that improved
efficiency and significantly reduced waiting times”
OR
“I volunteered to coordinate an audit of outpatient waiting
times. I was responsible for leading a team of three
colleagues . After analysing the data, we identified
significant weaknesses and implemented changes that
resulted in an average reduction in waiting time of two
weeks”
(Both 43 words)
Help available after form released
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Successful Applications For Foundation Training – Slides available from NW Deanery &
Careers Service website from 26th September 2011
www.nwpgmd.nhs.uk/careers
www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/students/downloads/publications/talkshandouts
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Online Careers forums
Friday 14th October from 6.00pm-8.00pm
Monday 17th October from 6.00pm – 8.00pm
Details of how to access the careers forums will be announced on MedLea.
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Planning Your Medical Career: A practical guide
www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk/news/story/ukfpo-publishes-careers-leaflet
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NHS Medical Careers Support Website
www.medicalcareers.nhs.uk
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Manchester Medical Students’ Careers Blog
www.manchestermedicalcareers.wordpress.com
And Next . . .
An Exercise
How to think laterally about
your answers
Question A
Describe a clinical consultation that you have
observed where the specific cultural, social or
family circumstances of the patient posed
additional challenges. Identify the techniques
used within this consultation that contributed to
this patient’s experience. What other
approaches could have been used in this
situation? What did you learn from this which
you can apply to your future clinical practice?
Answer to Question A
At a diabetic ante-natal clinic, a woman at 24-weeks gestation with a history
of poor diabetes management came for her routine check-up. The doctor
listened empathically to her social difficulties in managing responsibilities at
work as well as caring for her three children. Her busy lifestyle resulted in
haphazard snacking on fast convenient foods, which led to her uncontrolled
diabetes. The patient felt listened to in a non-judgemental manner as she
was allowed to express her difficulties freely. The doctor re-iterated the
dangers of uncontrolled diabetes and the importance of treatment. He
checked her understanding. Subsequently, the patient agreed to pre-plan
her weekly meals to avoid unhealthy choices and lower her blood glucose.
A list of low glycaemic foods could have been given. Input from a dietician
would have been useful, as well as a leaflet to refer back to regarding the
patients condition.
I learnt that it is important to illicit and address the patients concern and
involve the patient in their treatment plan. This ensures greater adherence,
leading to effective care. I will provide information using various resources
such as leaflets and dieticians, which can empower the patient to take
responsibility to maintain their own health. (198words)
Question B
Describe two different personal achievements to
demonstrate that you possess both of these
qualities, relating each achievement to a single
attribute. For each attribute, give one specific
example of how your achievement can contribute
towards improving your performance as a
foundation doctor.
Answer to Question B
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During the course of my Masters, I was under pressure to complete multiple
assignments for the same deadline. I produced a timetable to organise my
time. I clearly marked days for research, planning content, writing and
allowed days for unexpected delays. I stayed calm and focused on each
task at hand, completing my work punctually. This technique eases the
overall sense of pressure, enabling me to deliver effective patient care. I
can use it in acute presentations such as asthma attacks, where I will break
down and focus my attention on each aspect of care. I will immediately
provide oxygen, organise blood gases, and once stable, take a thorough
history and organise subsequent management.
Winning the community basketball competition illustrates my ability to
prioritise. Initially, I focused on my individual passing and shooting skill but
when my team were four points down and the captain injured, I stepped up
to take the role. Boosting morale became my new priority, which
consequently led to effective teamwork. This can help when I am on-call as
a foundation doctor. I will manage the most acutely unwell, followed by the
unwell and then address non-urgent jobs, constantly adapting my priorities
to the changing situation. (200words)
Think Laterally
• What would you do if
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• What element(s) of the
person specification is
covered?
• What if it were another
element?
• What else would you
include then?
The applicant must demonstrate:
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understanding of the importance of the
patient as the central focus of care
ability to prioritise tasks and
information
understanding of the importance of
working with others
ability to communicate effectively
initiative and the ability to deal with
pressure and/or challenge
understanding of equality and diversity
appropriate professional behaviour,
an understanding of the major
principles of Good Medical Practice