Recruitment of doctors and dentists in training

SHO’s should be extremely wary about applying for non-approved or non-standard posts that could be seriously disadvantageous to future career prospects and are unlikely to be recognised by medical royal colleges.

 

NHS training posts must be of an acceptable standard and accord with NHS workforce agreements. The following key features apply to all training posts:

 

¨ A post must have educational approval by the postgraduate dean or it cannot be designated a training post

 

¨ A post not in a recognised NHS training grade (e.g. Trust SHO, visiting fellow, research registrar) cannot be recognised as a training placement. Experience in such non-training posts cannot be assumed to count towards the completion of specialist or general practice training

 

¨ Placement in NHS training grade for doctors and dentists can only be advertise if they have the valid educational and dean’s approval. All advertisements should contain the following statement from the postgraduate dean:       

             “The postgraduate dean confirms that this placement and/ or programme has the

             required educational and dean’s approval”                                      

            

¨ All recruitment procedures should comply with equal opportunity policies.

 

 

The postgraduate dean must confirm:

 

¨ There is valid educational approval

¨ There is current postgraduate dean approval

 

The following two elements must be met for a post to obtain postgraduate dean’s approval:

 

1. Posts must meet agreed standards on training, supervision, contractual terms, compliance with the New Deal, accommodation and catering and local human resource strategy

 

2. Where there is a national or specialty specific target for the number of doctors or dentists   to be trained, dean’s approval must not be granted to placements which may cause these targets to be breached

 

 

The Specialist Training Authority has agreed that training or experience obtained in NHS placements which have not received the appropriate training approval will not be considered in assessing training for the award of a certificate of completion of specialist training.

 

Educational and training approval is also needed for those placements not funded by the  postgraduate dean but by other bodies, e.g. universities, charitable institutions, or research.

All training posts should have educational and dean’s approval and this should be stated in the advertisement.