Foundation Programme (Years 1 and 2)

Foundation Year 1 (FY1)

The Foundation Programme is a two-year programme completed at a hospital following successful completion of medical school.

The main purpose of the Foundation Programme is to gain experience in multiple specialties through four-month rotations over two years. During the first year specialities include medicine, surgery, trauma and orthopaedics, public health and psychiatry.

At FY1 level the doctor has a provisional GMC licence to practice. At the end of the first year, FY1 doctors undergo an assessment called the ARCP (Annual Review of Competencies and Progression). 

If this is satisfactory and the FY1 has completed the equivalent of 12 months experience they are awarded a F1CC certificate of completion allowing them to apply for full GMC registration and move into the second year as an FY2 doctor.

Foundation Year 2 (FY2)

During the second year, doctors have more autonomy and gain experience of working in more specialty areas such as intensive care, emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, public health and general practice.

Following completion of the FY2 year, doctors are awarded a Foundation Programme Certificate of Completion (FPCC) following a further ARCP assessment panel. 

Following completion of the Foundation Programme doctors can enter specialised training programmes such as internal medicine training (IMT) and Core Surgical Training.

Foundation induction and teaching

On arrival in the Trust, FY1 doctors participate in a six-day induction programme before they take up their posts. This includes mandatory elements including two full days spent shadowing current FY1s, clinical skills and resuscitation training, a prescribing workshop, and IT training.

All FY1 doctors are assigned a buddy who has completed similar rotations, to help ease the transition from student to doctor. All foundation doctors are invited to become members of our Doctors’ Mess and are encouraged to participate in some of the welcome social events organised by our current foundation doctors.

During the first two months of teaching FY1 doctors are supported with intensive clinical skills sessions in conjunction with the national ATSP (Asked to See Patient) Programme, which is facilitated by the North West Foundation School.

The Foundation Programme provides a half-day’s teaching each week for FY1s and FY2s. Teaching is delivered by a mixture of consultants, senior and junior trainees and other members of the multidisciplinary team. This is supplemented by departmental teaching during each rotation. Weekly teaching time is protected and trainees are required to achieve 70% attendance at teaching.

Foundation doctors have an educational supervisor who remains with them for up to two years, along with a Clinical Supervisor who will change with each rotation. Trainees meet with their supervisor at least twice during each rotation to plan and assess their progress during the rotation. 

Trainees must progress satisfactorily through each rotation to receive their FPCC (Foundation Programme Completion Certificate) in order to progress to the specialist training of their choice.

Doctors will undertake Supervised Learning Events (SLEs) via the Horus e-portfolio system. In addition to the core protected teaching all our foundation doctors have the opportunity to attend additional departmental teaching, regular simulation training, journal clubs, and Grand Rounds.