Foundation doctor
A foundation doctor is a grade of medical practitioner in the United Kingdom undertaking the Foundation Programme, a two-year, general postgraduate medical training programme which forms the bridge between medical school and specialist/general practice training. Doctors in the first year of the programme are known as Foundation Year 1 (FY1) doctors, and those in the second year are known as Foundation Year 2 (FY2) doctors. Being a foundation doctor is compulsory for all newly qualified medical practitioners in the UK starting from 2005 onwards. The grade of foundation doctor has replaced the traditional grades of pre-registration house officer and senior house officer.
| Year | Current (Modernising Medical Careers) | Previous | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Foundation doctor (FY1 and FY2), 2 years | Pre-registration house officer (PRHO), 1 year | ||
| 2 | Senior house officer (SHO), minimum 2 years; often more | |||
| 3 | Specialty registrar, general practice (GPST), minimum 3 years |
Specialty registrar, hospital speciality (SpR), minimum 5 years | ||
| 4 | Specialist registrar, 4–6 years |
GP registrar, 1 year | ||
| 5 | General practitioner, 4 years total time in training | |||
| 6–8 | General practitioner, minimum 5 years total time in training | |||
| 9 | Consultant, minimum 7 years total time in training | Consultant, minimum 7–9 years total time in training | ||
| Optional | Training is competency based, times shown are a minimum. Training may be extended by obtaining an Academic Clinical Fellowship for research or by dual certification in another speciality. | Training may be extended by pursuing medical research (usually 2–3 years), usually with clinical duties as well | ||
Foundation doctors have the opportunity to gain experience in a series of posts in a variety of specialties and healthcare settings. Learning objectives for each stage are specific and focused on demonstration of clinical competences. Emphasis was on the assessment and management of acutely ill patients, but changes in the curriculum have stressed that chronic conditions are also important. Training also encompasses the generic professional skills applicable to all areas of medicine – teamwork, time management, communication and IT skills.