Foundation Programme 2011: The national recruitment process Published June 2010

1. Foundation Programme 2011: The national recruitment processPublished June 2010

2. FP 2010 Successes 100% of eligible applicants (including all UK grads) were placed into programmes 100% of vacancies were filled during the national round Over 90% got their first choice foundation school

3. No major changes to FP 2011 • The “Improving Selection to the Foundation Programme” group is considering new recruitment options for FP 2013 recruitment, but in the meantime, there will be no major changes to the main recruitment round • Pilots of the proposed recruitment process will take place in selected schools • If your school is chosen as part of the pilot, the results you receive from participation in the pilot will not affect your allocation to school, or to programme for FP 2011

4. Recruitment to Academic FP • For the first time, recruitment to Academic Foundation Programmes will be coordinated through the national portal at www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk • Applicants enrol online from 4–15 June 2010, complete a short application form and choose up to three Units of Application (UoA) • Once an applicant has chosen their UoA(s), they will go through the local application process associated with their UoA • Go to the Academic Programmes page of the UKFPO website for further information • If you accept an Academic Foundation Programme, you will not go through the main national recruitment round

5. Special Circumstances • Students can apply to their medical school for pre-allocation to a particular foundation school on the basis of special circumstances: • Criterion 1: The applicant is a parent or legal guardian with significant caring responsibilities for a child or children under the age of 18 • Criterion 2: The applicant is the primary carer for someone who is disabled (expected to be a partner, sibling or parent) • Criterion 3: The applicant has a medical condition for which local follow up is an absolute requirement, as confirmed by a report from an Occupational Health physician or an appropriate medical specialist Applications and supporting evidence must be submitted to your medical school by 30 Sept 2010

6. Applications - 100 points (max) Part 1 • 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 • Applicants will be able to see their academic ranking on their account once they enrol online. Part 2 • Application questions - 60 points (maximum) • There are six questions to answer • Each answer is worth a maximum of 10 points • Word limit = 200 words per answer

7. Question 1: Educational Achievements PART 1A – Additional postgraduate degrees (max. 5 points) • Additional degrees include Bachelors, Masters and Doctorates, no matter the subject of study • You can only get credit for one additional degree. • If you have an MA and a PhD, you get credit for the PhD 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 BSc degree will give you more points than a 3rd class degree, for example

8. Question 1: Educational Achievements PART 1B: Publications, prizes and presentations (max. 5 points) • Up to two points in each category for: • Publications (must have a PubMed ID (PMID) • Oral or poster presentations at national or international conferences • Prizes at a national level (this must be a 1st prize) • Only 5 points are available in total, with a maximum of 2 points from each category PLEASE NOTE: Don’t worry if you don’t have any additional educational achievements. Fewer than 50% of medical students score points on this question.

9. Questions 2 - 6 • Questions 2 to 6 relate to the essential criteria described in the Person Specification for FP 2011 • You must demonstrate through your answers that you meet the person specification in order to be allocated to a foundation training place • All questions have a maximum score of 10 points • You will only be able to see the questions once the application period opens. They will not be published in advance

10. The application process NATIONAL • Eligibility checking • Online registration and enrolment • Submission of online application form • Applications scored • Allocation to foundation school LOCAL • Applicants choose programme preferences • Matching to a programme within the school • Pre-employment checks

11. Getting started (from 4 Oct 2010) 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, you can enrol in the FP 2011 recruitment round

12. Application form (11–22 Oct 10) 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 referees) • Questions (6 questions which will be scored) • Preferences (ranking all foundation schools in order of preference) • Submit

13. Foundation Programme Application: FP 2011

14. Application form (11-22 Oct 10) 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 referees) • Questions (6 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. Each panel only sees one answer.

15. Linked applications • You may link your application to another applicant’s in order for you to be placed in the same foundation school • They must also link to you • You are both allocated based on the lowest scoring applicant’s score • You cannot “un-link” once your application is submitted • Some foundation schools will not guarantee that linked applicants are in the same area. Check foundation school websites for more information on their policies

16. Preferences: Ranking foundation schools Check the Foundation Applicant’s Handbook for competition ratios for 2007-2010. View the details of individual programmes within the foundation schools online from 4 October. Linked applicants must rank their foundation school preferences in the same order or the link is broken. For the past four years, 90% or more of applicants each year got into their first choice foundation school.

17. Scoring • Applications are scored by the applicant’s 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 the applicant’s identity, their academic ranking or scores they received for other questions

18. Verification • Some applicants will be asked to verify the answers they provide on their application form • 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 you to submit evidence of all your answers in whatever way you see fit

19. Verification (17 Nov – 5 Dec 08) Example 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.

20. 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

21. Your work must be your own • Medical school staff, clinical tutors and former scorers have been told that they cannot give you direct coaching and advice as it is unfair to students at those schools who do not provide it • Applicants must confirm that the answers to the application questions are their own before they submit the application • The situations you use in your answers must have been experienced by you personally – not something you heard about through colleagues or lecturers

22. Unfair practice • Unfair practice, including collusion and plagiarism, is not tolerated • Plagiarism software will check answers to ensure that answers have not been downloaded from the web, or duplicate other applications • If evidence of unfair practice is found, applicants will receive a letter asking them to verify their answers. If they cannot, they will be withdrawn from the recruitment system • Please note that if two people or more have similar answers, all those involved are considered culpable. Make sure you keep your answers confidential. This is not a group exercise

23. Allocation algorithm & matching process Allocation to foundation school (8 Dec 2010) • Applicants are allocated based on their preferences first, then application score Matching to programme (15 Feb 2011) • Foundation schools each have their own process for matching to programme. Check the foundation school websites for more information. (Most match to programme based on their score first, then preferences (highest scoring applicants get first pick)

24. Pre-employment checks • Pre-employment checks include Criminal Records Bureau checks, registration with the Independent Safeguarding Authority (or PVG scheme in Scotland), occupational health checks. They may also 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 the checks are successfully completed. These checks begin as soon as the applicant is matched to a programme

25. References • Applicants must provide details of two referees: one clinical and one from medical school • References and their content are not used in the scoring process, nor are they used in allocating you to a programme • References are passed to employers as part of their pre-employment checks • See Foundation Applicant’s Handbook for more information

26. Transfer of Information • Tomorrow’s Doctors, places an obligation on medical schools to ensure you meet the outcomes required and to transfer information to those who may need it during your foundation training • Your medical school will give you more details about the Transfer of Information (ToI) process. The national process and forms can be found on the UKFPO website under “Medical Students/Key Documents”

27. Employment contracts The employing healthcare organisation is responsible for all contractual issues including: • Pay • Banding • Rotas • Accommodation (if applicable) In England, check the NHS Employers website for more information: www.nhsemployers.org

28. Planning and preparation You should: • Read the person specification and Foundation Applicant’s Handbook available online now • Start collecting details of your relevant qualifications, publications, presentations and prizes • Ask one GP, consultant or associate specialist who can provide a reference about your clinical skills; and one lecturer, senior lecturer, professor or reader at your medical school to act as your referees. Request that they supply an email address they access regularly

29. Planning and preparation • Print a copy of the Foundation Applicants’ Handbook from the website • Download the Podcast on how to complete your form from the UKFPO website (from 30 June) • Book at least three sessions in your diary. 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

30. 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 foundation training in the way specified on the application form • Scoring panels will only be provided with an applicants’ answers to the questions and their 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

31. Important dates 7 June 2010 * Foundation Applicant’s Handbook available 4 Oct 2010 * Applicants can register and enrol online * Programme information is available to view 11 - 22 Oct 2010 FPAS is open for applications** 8 Dec 2010 Foundation school allocations are made By 25 Jan 2011 Preferences for training programmesare submitted(deadlines and methods will vary by foundation school) 15 Feb 2011Matching to specific programmes is completed and applicants notified of results **Late applications will not be accepted

32. What happens if . . . . . . more people apply than there are vacancies available? Oversubscription • The top scoring applicants are placed on the primary list and will be allocated to foundation schools using the current algorithm • Any applicants who do not score highly enough to be on the primary list will be placed on a reserve list • As vacancies arise (due to finals failures and withdrawals), applicants will be allocated to foundation schools based on their scores/preferences in batches at set intervals • Go to the Foundation Applicant’s Handbook for further information

33. What happens if . . . . . . there are not enough applicants for all the vacancies? Undersubscription • Posts will be suspended on a pro-rata basis in each foundation school based on a pre-determined formula • The number of suspended posts will be dependent on the number of vacancies • Posts will be suspended in multiples of 3 per foundation school (3, 6, 9, 12, etc.) • This plan will only apply in England (Posts will not be suspended in Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland)

34. Where to go for more info Go to www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk • for further details on the application process • for answers to frequently asked questions • for a list of foundation schools with web links • to sign up for regular e-updates