Foundation Training Programme
Updated 14 September 2017
Introduction
Welcome to the Oxford University Hospitals Foundation Training Programme. The Trust is a thriving community where academia and clinical medicine flourish together.
There are over 200 Foundation Doctors spread amongst the specialties that only a tertiary centre can offer.
Foundation Training at the Oxford University Hospitals stands out for excellence on clinical and educational grounds in the setting of supportive and friendly environment.
What we offer
Planning your career
At OUH there is help and support with career progression. Career workshops are offered to F1s and F2s, and a substantial library of interview, training and career progression related books are available for loan at both the Education Centres.
Research opportunities
The Oxford Deanery in partnership with the Oxford University Clinical Academic Graduate School (OUCAGS) is proud to run a vibrant Oxford Academic Foundation Programme.
Our programme is unique in that there are no set projects offered to successful applicants. Instead, we encourage doctors to develop projects which are in line with their areas of clinical and academic interests.
Academic Foundation Programme Leads are available to offer support and guidance in this process, and in past years this approach has led to very successful projects which are frequently presented at national and international meetings and published in peer reviewed journals.
Our Academic Foundation Doctors are a mixture of those who already have experience of research and those who show interest and aptitude in academic medicine and want a 'taster' of what an academic career would look like.
Although individual AFP jobs vary, most involve a four-month block of day release in FY1 during which project plans can be developed, followed by a four-month full time academic block in FY2.
There are numerous academic opportunities for Foundation Programme Doctors, whether they are on the academic, or standard programmes. The Academic Medical Forum provides an opportunity to present your research ideas and results, network with like-minded colleagues and discover what other trainees and clinical academics are up to.
Academic Opportunities Seminars is a seminar series on generic research skills which provides an invaluable resource to develop the tools required for a career in academic medicine.
Medical and surgical grand round meetings also provide a stimulating insight into the interaction between clinical and academic work frequently using individual patients to illustrate key concepts.
For further information, please visit the OUCAGS website:
Teaching others
There are many opportunities for Foundation Doctors to develop their teaching skills.
The Teacher Development Programme aims at developing 'on the job' teaching opportunities for Foundation Doctors in the Trust. It includes some training sessions on basic teaching methodology to provide Foundation Doctors with appropriate tools to improve the quality of the teaching provided to medical students.
The Oxford Medical School Skills Lab also offers many teaching opportunities as well as a programme to develop your skills as an assessor and becoming involved in simulation and examination.
Quality improvement and Clinical Audit
All Foundation Doctors working at OUH are encouraged to actively engage in clinical audit and quality improvement projects. Participation in audit and/or quality improvement projects is an essential requirement of foundation training.
There will be plenty of opportunities and you can choose to carry on your project in your specialty of interest. The Oxford Simulation, Teaching and Research (OxSTAR) team will be happy to provide you with the help and supervision that you may need.
Leadership and management
At OUH, Foundation Doctors who have a keen interest in medical leadership are encouraged to develop their interest and acquire new leadership and management skills, both by getting involved in trainees' groups and by attending courses and seminars.
Foundation trainees can either apply to be members of the Oxford Foundation Trainees' Group or Foundation Education Leads.
Continuous professional development
OUH has a strong commitment to Foundation Doctor teaching and training.
Foundation Year 1 doctors have weekly teaching and Foundation Year 2 doctors have fortnightly teaching.
All Foundation Doctors are required to attend a six-hour simulation training session provided by OxSTAR.
Foundation Year 1 doctors have an extra ALERT Course. This one-day course trains healthcare professionals to recognise and treat the critically ill ward patient.
There is also a weekly teaching session for Case Based Discussions both in the George Pickering Education Centre and Terence Mortimer Education Centre. Foundation Doctors are invited to attend and bring interesting cases. The sessions are facilitated by outstanding consultants. You will never leave without learning something useful, and you can also get an additional supervised learning event form for your portfolio.
Apart from the mandatory teaching that all Foundation Doctors are required to attend in order to be successfully signed-off, there are plenty of courses that Foundation Doctors are encouraged to attend, which run several times over the year at both education centres.
The team
The Oxford University Hospitals has named individuals for the Foundation Programme. Questions about recruitment, banding of posts, rotas etc. are not dealt with by the education centres and should be addressed to either the Oxford Foundation School or Medical Staffing.