ST1
Starting in ST1
You will need to register as soon as possible with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) in order to gain access to your ePortfolio from FourteenFish. The Portfolio is the online training log which must be completed and signed off to proceed to the Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training in General Practice (CCT). Registration can be completed via the College website. You will need to quote your GMC number and give your training Deanery. You should be ready to pay a registration fee.
You will receive emails from the Southampton Patch Office with important information regarding your educational sessions as well as important updates. Please ensure that you have registered an email address that you check regularly. The timetable for educational sessions is available on our website which will include all the necessary documentation for the session. Reminders for sessions will not be sent and it is your responsibility to use the QR code/link to register apologies in advance of missed sessions. Your attendance is recorded and entered into your ePortfolio. Please ensure your department and rota supervisor are aware of the educational sessions so that your clinical commitments are covered in order for you to attend.
Your department will arrange departmental induction and hospital induction if necessary. The GP Education Unit will arrange GP training induction for new resident doctors.
Documentation for Hospital Posts
Please make sure you have completed the following, either through your hospital induction or through your Trainer. It is your responsibility to ensure these are completed. If you don’t receive them, you must alert the relevant Trust or authority:
> An Occupational Health Check (via your hospital)
> An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. This is requested through your employer (Trust HR), not through Health Education England (Wessex). Please keep your full copy.
> Up-to-date GMC registration with a licence to practice.
> Medical Defence Union or Medical Protection Society cover is recommended.
> A Visa check (if relevant).
> A Patient Safety Course must be attended by all ST1s in Wessex. This involves attending a training day and completing a patient safety project. These days are arranged by the Wessex Deanery for free. Further information is available from the Deanery here
> Statutory and Mandatory Training via appropriate e-learning packages for the Trust you are working in
How to get the most out of your hospital rotations
Most available hospital placements will rotate at the end of 6 months. Some post may be divided into 2 x 3month placements (for example an Emergency Department placement will include 3 months of adult ED and then 3 months children ED). If you have a split post, we would recommend that you have a placement planning meeting at the beginning of both rotations and a clinical supervisor report at the end of both rotations.
Before each hospital post:
> Talk to predecessors
> Discuss your rota in advance to plan attendance at GP educational sessions, study leave and annual leave
During the post:
At the start:
> Meet with your Clinical Supervisor (there is a mandatory ‘placement planning meeting’ log entry on your portfolio which you can complete to record this.)
> Identify GP orientated needs and aims for the post (Personal Development Plan)
> Start early in achieving your CBDs, MSF and mini-CEXs because leaving these assessments until the end of your post can make them difficult to achieve and cause unnecessary stress
Throughout the Post:
> Continue to maintain your learning log, PDP and achieve your workplace-based assessments
> Take study leave and annual leave
> Reassess your learning needs and update your PDP
> Check you have evidence in your Portfolio for each capability area (for the list of capability areas that need to be achieved before every Educational Supervisor Review please see the section on MRCGP on the RCGP website
Structure of your GP Training (select to see table)
Support during training
There are three key roles that support your training:
> Your Clinical Supervisor (CS) is the consultant who supervises your day to day clinical work and will therefore change with each new post. They oversee the training you receive and help to assess your progress through Work Place Based Assessments (including their Clinical Supervisor Report, CSR). You should arrange a Placement Planning meeting with them early in the post and have regular contact with them for developmental feedback and assessment. In primary care your GP trainer or one of their GP colleagues will carry out this role (N.B. in ITP posts you also need a hospital consultant CS for the hospital/specialty component of the post who must provide a CSR for this aspect of your clinical work).
> Your Educational Supervisor (ES) helps you develop learning objectives for each post and reviews your progress towards becoming an independent General Practitioner. They conduct 6 monthly Educational Supervisors Reviews (ESR) with you to document your progress and offer a recommendation to the ARCP panel on progression to the next stage of training. They also validate and can provide feedback on your ePortfolio entries as well as being a source of general support and advice. You will be allocated a GP Trainer as your ES but this may not be the same Trainer who you will go on to work with in clinical practice.
> Your GP Programme Directors co-ordinate and facilitate the educational sessions for GP specialty doctors in training (the ‘Day Release’ programme). They oversee the rotations and are also available for training advice and general support.
ST1/2
Educational Sessions in Southampton
We hold half day educational sessions for GP ST1s and ST2s once a month. The sessions will normally be held at the Education Centre, C Level, South Academic Block, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, SO16 6YD. Occasionally the venue may be changed or the sessions held remotely on Zoom, and if this is the case you will be informed in advance.
Doctors in training in Jersey will be provided a link to join all sessions remotely.
The sessions are GP orientated and provide an important part of your specialist training, as well as giving you an opportunity to meet with other resident doctors at different stages of their rotations. The sessions begin at 9.00am and end at 1.00pm. You are expected to attend for the whole session and should arrange for your clinical commitments to be covered. Lunch will not be provided.
During your ST2 General Practice post you will continue to attend the educational sessions once a month and, in addition, you will be expected to attend a small group session facilitated by the Programme Directors. This will be a half-day session and will replace your CPD study session in that week of the month.
There will also be an opportunity to attend exam preparation sessions appropriate to your stage of training on the same day as the monthly teaching sessions.
ST3
We run a weekly programme of educational sessions held on Wednesdays throughout the ST3 year. Currently, there sessions are either being held face-to-face at the the Education Centre (C Level, South Academic Block, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD) or remotely on the video conferencing platform Zoom. The timetable (on the GPEU website) will give you the session details.
All ST3s are based in Southampton and the New Forest; there are no ST3 posts in Jersey.
The sessions begin at 9.00am and end at 1.00pm. As well as covering clinical topics this course gives you the opportunity to think more widely about the GPs role in Primary Care and to develop practical consulting skills. You will have the opportunity to discuss your training with your peers and more experienced GPs. Lunch is not provided.
It is useful to make a record of the educational sessions as part of your learning log to enable your GP Trainer to review your development throughout the year.
On a Wednesday when there is no facilitated learning session, you are expected to be in surgery unless you have organised an alternative education opportunity (for example, out-patient session, sitting with other primary care health professionals) or use the session seeing patients and videoing for educational purposes.
Soap Box
We will begin sessions with a short “Soap Box” presentation by a GP resident doctor. A Soap Box is a 15 minute presentation on a non-medical topic of your choice. We encourage you to use a variety of media to support your presentation including video clips and music. A PowerPoint presentation is not essential.
These options provide you with an opportunity to practice the skill of presenting in a relatively informal environment. There should be time for questions afterwards.
Small Group Work
Group learning is a cornerstone of our facilitated learning sessions, and small groups ofST3s are established early in the year. You will discuss case scenarios, hot topics, evidence-based medicine, challenging patients, medico-political issues and any problems which may arise on a weekly basis. You will also have the opportunity to learn about the MRCGP and the Portfolio. The content of each session will be decided by the group to encourage self-directed learning.
Topic Based Seminars
In addition to group work, sessions include topic-based seminars. These are linked to curriculum statements and utilise external facilitators, communication workshops and simulated patients. The programme of topics can be found on the website. As well as clinical topics, there are also seminars focussing on preparation for life after training, including a careers day and a Life Skills course.
Practice Locum
The Practice Locum is a unique opportunity to work in a different practice before qualifying. This is a 1-2 week swap with another ST3 at another practice to experience a different working environment. When organising this consider the demographics of your practice, the computer system, the size of practice etc. to try to experience something different to your current working environment (that may also expand your CV/Skills). We would encourage you to organise this after you have sat the SCA when you are beginning to think about what jobs you might like to apply for when you qualify.
Parking for educational sessions
Resident doctors in GP placements may be able to apply for a parking permit for the Wednesday educational sessions through UHS Travelwise. The permit will only be valid on a Wednesday – Travelwise will not allow you to use your permit/card on any other day. (Click here to go directly to the application form for the permit.)
> If you choose to park on the hospital site for a Wednesday educational session and do not have a GPEU Wednesday Parking Permit, you will have to pay full cost of parking on the day. Exit tickets will not be given on Wednesdays.
> The cost of your parking on site will not be reimbursed by either the GP Education Unit or UHS Travelwise while you are waiting to be approved. UHS Travelwise will endeavour to process your form in good time.
Resident doctors in hospital placements are not entitled to car parking permits or exit tickets for their monthly Wednesday educational sessions. Due to pressures on car parking capacity at the hospital, the use of public transport or park and ride is encouraged.
All resident doctors are entitled to use the park and ride facilities. Please contact UHS Travelwise directly regarding this.
Support and Wellbeing
If you are finding GP training difficult, there is support available. Your Educational Supervisor is your main point of contact and will be able to offer advice or signposting depending on the specific situation. The Programme Director Team, for example your group facilitator for educational sessions, are also there to help. Other sources of support are linked below.
Coaching
https://people.nhs.uk/lookingafteryoutoo/
Support
Professional Support and Wellbeing Unit:
https://wessex.hee.nhs.uk/wellbeing-and-support/psw/trainee-info/faqs/
NHS Practitioner Health:
https://www.practitionerhealth.nhs.uk, 0300 0303 300 or prac.health@nhs.net
BMA wellbeing 24/7 telephone counselling service:
https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/your-wellbeing/wellbeing-support-services/counselling-and-peer-support-for-doctors-and-medical-students or 0330 123 1245
Links to LTFT, maternity leave, sick leave policies on the Wessex website