TEACHING & TASTERS
Information about our foundation teaching programme, curriculum and taster opportunities
Foundation teaching programme
Dedicated bleep free, protected mandatory teaching is provided weekly to all Foundation Doctors at Medway in the Education Centre. FY1 attend on Tuesdays from 13:30 – 14:30 and FY2s attend on Thursdays from 13:30 – 14:30. The programmes are arranged every year, delivering presentations, clinical skills practice and case based scenarios and studies from multidisciplinary team members and Consultant educators. The topics covered are mapped to the teaching curriculum provided by the Foundation School.
Foundation Doctors are expected to provide feedback on all teaching sessions attended to help further develop the education programme. Lunch vouchers for use in the staff restaurant are provided by the medical education team for foundation teaching days.
Departmental teaching
Please speak to your department about the weekly teaching that they offer and view the Medical Education calendar for more teaching opportunities in the Education Centre.
Horus - mandatory teaching log
From 7 August 2019, Foundation Doctors must attend a minimum of 60 hours (during 12 months pro-rata) of teaching during their FY1 and their FY2 rotation.
At least 30 hours (during 12 months pro-rata) must be core foundation teaching.
Statutory and mandatory training, induction sessions and ILS/ALS/equivalent cannot contribute to the 60 hours.
A maximum of 6 hours (10%) of e-learning can contribute to the 60 hours.
For further information on site based teaching programmes, or if you wish to share ideas for additional teaching please contact your Foundation Programme Advisor.
Self- Development Time
Following the Postgraduate Medical Foundation Programme Review Health Education England (HEE) rolled out self- development time (SDT) for foundation doctors in August 2020 in order to further support health and wellbeing.
Recommendation #14 of the review is to ensure all foundation doctors have time formally included in their work schedules for non-clinical professional activities, so from August 2021 all FY1 and FY2 doctors will have a minimum of 2 hours on average per week of SDT time.
At Medway this will follow on from your protected teaching session but it may vary between specialities subject to rota planning. This will be signposted at departmental local inductions.
FY1 Self Development time on Tuesdays from 14:30 – 16:30 and FY2s on Thursdays from 14:30 – 16:30 *speciality specific*.
Taster information
Taster opportunities are available for all foundation doctors in a specialty which is not included in their Training Programme or where the doctor has not previously worked, who need support on deciding their career. In order to facilitate this, it is required that local education providers provide taster opportunities for foundation doctors.
The decision on whether provision of a taster opportunity is appropriate to support the foundation doctor’s career decision-making process, should be made during careers discussion between the foundation doctor and the educational supervisor/foundation training programme director.
A foundation doctor who would benefit from a taster opportunity should undertake a taster programme in the specialty of their choice either in their first F2 rotation or during the final 4 months of foundation year 1.
F1 doctors are allowed to ‘borrow’ up to five days of their F2 study leave allowance in order to complete a taster in their last four months as an F1.
If a foundation doctor undertakes a taster programme, this should be recorded within the foundation e-portfolio.
The taster must be undertaken within the foundation doctor’s ‘host’ local education provider. If the foundation doctor’s local education ‘host’ provider does not provide taster programmes in the specialty of the foundation doctor’s choice, or are unable to accommodate the chosen taster, the foundation doctor can apply for an external taster programme subject to approval from the FTPD. External tasters must be undertaken in any of the local education providers within the foundation school that provides a taster programme in the specialty of the foundation doctor’s choice.
