Higher Surgical Training In UK

Training Posts

The Dept of Health has produced an extensive document, which provides an excellent guide to all aspects of training including Overseas Doctors training "A Guide to Specialist Registrar Training" The following information is available from the web page.

What are the opportunities for training within the specialist registrar grade?

There are two types of training programme to which overseas doctors may be appointed. They may enter these programmes either directly from overseas or after completing a period of basic specialist or general professional training in the United Kingdom, usually as a senior house officer:

Type I (visiting training number-VTN is held)

A higher specialist training programme which, if completed satisfactorily, will lead to the award of a Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training (CCST) and entry to the Specialist Register held by the GMC. It is for the Specialist Training Authority of the Medical Royal Colleges (STA), supported by a recommendation of the relevant Royal College or Faculty, to determine whether or not an individual doctor has met the standard required for a specified training programme to merit the award of a CCST

Type II (fixed training number-FTN is held)

A higher specialist training programme or Fixed Term Training Appointment (FTTA). Here the doctor pursues an agreed training programme tailored to meet the individual doctor's training goals. This will usually last from six months to two years but may be longer to fulfil individual needs. The programme does not lead to the award of a CCST.

Appointment

All appointments to training posts are by a competitive process. These posts have the necessary educational approval (by the Royal College) and the training approval (by the JCHST) and are funded by the dean. The interview panel often has 4-6 members who include Local, Deanery, Trust, and the Royal College representatives in addition to the medical personnel. A typical person specification for Specialist Registrar post in Paediatric Surgery is given here.