A foundation doctor is a grade of

medical practitioner A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

in the United Kingdom undertaking the

Foundation Programme A foundation programme, foundation program, foundation year, foundation year programme or foundation year program is a one-year introductory course to a full multi-year degree curriculum offered by many universities in the Commonwealth and elsewher ...

, 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

s in the UK starting from 2005 onwards. The grade of foundation doctor has replaced the traditional grades of

pre-registration house officer Pre-registration house officer (PRHO), often known as a houseman or house officer, is a former official term for a grade of junior doctor that was, until 2005, the only job open to medical graduates in the United Kingdom who had just passed the ...

and

senior house officer A senior house officer (SHO) is a non-consultant hospital doctor in the Republic of Ireland. SHOs are supervised in their work by consultants and registrars. In training posts these registrars and consultants oversee training and are usually their ...

. 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.

Foundation Year 1

This year replaces what was known as

. In the first year of foundation training, FY1s rotate through three or four jobs in different hospital specialties. The

General Medical Council The General Medical Council (GMC) is a public body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners within the United Kingdom. Its chief responsibility is to "protect, promote and maintain the health and safety of the public" by c ...

specify that every FY1 must complete at least three months of general medicine. Until 2007, it was also required for all FY1s to complete at least three months of general surgery, and therefore most programmes still include this. The rest of the year may be made up of further time spent in general medicine or general surgery, or time spent in other specialties (but not in

general practice General practice is the name given in various nations, such as the United Kingdom, India, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa to the services provided by general practitioners. In some nations, such as the US, similar services may be describe ...

Foundation Year 2

The first year of the posts in FY2 is in different specialties, such as

emergency medicine Emergency medicine is the medical speciality concerned with the care of illnesses or injuries requiring immediate medical attention. Emergency physicians (often called “ER doctors” in the United States) continuously learn to care for unsche ...

paediatrics Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...

psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry. Initial psych ...

obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgi ...

pathology Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...

. The training builds on what has been achieved during the previous year in FY1. FY2s will sometimes also refer to themselves as SHOs (for

s) and will be in the SHO rota. Although some departments have separate rotas for GPVTS trainees and FY2s and a separate rota for specialist trainees.

References

Healthcare occupations in the United Kingdom Medical education in the United Kingdom

Foundation Year 1

Foundation Year 2

See also

References