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For reference, the wiki pages on FPAS are here:
Guide to FPAS
Info on Foundation Schools
They're still the 2014 versions atm, will update over the summer.

Original post by alicexelizabeth
So a little early but the guidance came out on Friday:

http://www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk/news/story/fpafp-2015-application-guidance-published

What does everyone think of the new arrangements with community placements. If I'm honest I was a little uncertain how the posts will work? I got the impression that a general idea of posts will be up in September, but official posts will be up in February?

Nervous already!

Anyone applying for academic?


Intrigued that it's England only for this new community requirement. Also, what are they calling a 'community/integrated' placement? GP/ Community psych/ community paeds?
Original post by Becca-Sarah
For reference, the wiki pages on FPAS are here:
Guide to FPAS
Info on Foundation Schools
They're still the 2014 versions atm, will update over the summer.



Intrigued that it's England only for this new community requirement. Also, what are they calling a 'community/integrated' placement? GP/ Community psych/ community paeds?


I think all the ones you mentioned will count as a community placement. It also mentioned placements with "community facing aspects". From the "Broadening the Foundation Programme" report this seemed to imply that this could also mean spending one day a week doing something community related.

Looking forward to seeing the general idea of posts in September!
Christ. This all applies to me, doesn't it? Is it bad that I just want to bury my head in the sand for a few more weeks/months/years?
I feel the same way! This is actually something we should be thinking about...
Reply 5
Feels weird that this actually applies to me.
Although I still have a year to go before I reach the FPAS applications stage (heavily dependent on passing a difficult year 4), I wanted to see what people think about the Broadening the Foundation Programme document by Health Education England. The following link summarises the main recommendations: http://www.stfs.org.uk/broadening-foundation-programme

I intend to stay in the North West where all F2 programmes must include a GP placement anyway so probably effects us in Manchester less anyway.
I am not against the idea of doing a community placement in F1 or F2. I'm a bit worried that some acute specialities I would like to do would be replaced with a community placement I was less keen for though.

However, I am not sure whether having a community placement in Foundation Years is necessarily going to help move more services in the community. Plus, they are saying they want more "advanced generalists" who could manage emergencies in the community. By that logic surely we should all have a compulsory ED rotation! I had always thought of Foundation being preparation for managing acutely unwell patients, but hopefully 4 months in the community won't diminish that.
Reply 8
We do so much community medicine as part of our curriculum (I'm talking 23 weeks of G.P., incl. 15 in final year), I'm quite disappointed at the prospect of more enforced for foundation.
Completely agree with this. There were some specialties I had in mind and it would be a shame not to be able to do them (although you don't necessarily get to do what you want anyway). I would not object to doing a community placement though.

Also, surely if they want more advanced generalists it would make sense to have junior doctors who are exposed to a broader range of specialties (even if they are not ones they want to do) or ED. That way you get the opportunity to practise procedures or see things which you may not get a chance to in community placements?


Original post by alicexelizabeth
I am not against the idea of doing a community placement in F1 or F2. I'm a bit worried that some acute specialities I would like to do would be replaced with a community placement I was less keen for though.

However, I am not sure whether having a community placement in Foundation Years is necessarily going to help move more services in the community. Plus, they are saying they want more "advanced generalists" who could manage emergencies in the community. By that logic surely we should all have a compulsory ED rotation! I had always thought of Foundation being preparation for managing acutely unwell patients, but hopefully 4 months in the community won't diminish that.
Original post by Kinkerz
We do so much community medicine as part of our curriculum (I'm talking 23 weeks of G.P., incl. 15 in final year), I'm quite disappointed at the prospect of more enforced for foundation.


Yes, I will have done more of GP than anything else. Perhaps they need to work on making it more attractive as a career rather than making us do even more to convince us? I'm not really sure what the exact reason is though, as we have discussed, management of Emergencies is important and you would have thought with the ED recruitment crisis they'd start making that compulsory too.

I'm a bit anxious that I may end up with Community Psychiatry though...plumping for GP, GUM or community Paeds.
Original post by Kinkerz
We do so much community medicine as part of our curriculum (I'm talking 23 weeks of G.P., incl. 15 in final year), I'm quite disappointed at the prospect of more enforced for foundation.


1 week in fourth year and 8 weeks of 3 days out of 5, so I guess that's about 6 weeks of GP in total at my med school.
Original post by AnonymousPenguin
1 week in fourth year and 8 weeks of 3 days out of 5, so I guess that's about 6 weeks of GP in total at my med school.

You clearly don't attend a medical school that has the primary aim of servicing the future of community medicine. The irony is that this breed of school doesn't even seem to generate better M.R.C.G.P. scores and, anecdotally, it's dissuaded many from careers in primary care.
I can't get too excited about this just yet until I finish (and hopefully pass) this year's exams. ~6 weeks till I'm done with this year and then I can start thinking about FPAS/AFP etc.
Original post by Medicine Man
I can't get too excited about this just yet until I finish (and hopefully pass) this year's exams. ~6 weeks till I'm done with this year and then I can start thinking about FPAS/AFP etc.

This is a depressingly lucid point :sigh:

Feel so much less secure about exams this year than in previous years.
My exams start this Friday... Need to pass first before devoting further thought to FPAS. Our uni has sent an email about taking the SJT already- optimistic much?
Original post by Kinkerz
We do so much community medicine as part of our curriculum (I'm talking 23 weeks of G.P., incl. 15 in final year), I'm quite disappointed at the prospect of more enforced for foundation.


Crikey! That's loads of GP!!!

We did 8 weeks in 6 years at UCL….and even that was too much!
The community thing is a bit of a potential bummer. Guess it depends on what they mean by community and how exactly it is that only 80% of people have to do it. What happens to the other 20% - are they some special group, I wonder? Or just luck of the draw on job rotations?

I never realised how close together all the SJT scores are either - looks like just a couple of marks between centiles and that's basically the same as a few educated guesses going the right or wrong way. Mega gulp... I still cannot for the life of me fathom how it's worth so many points!
Am I weird in not actually being particularly bummed about a community placement (as long as it isn't bloody paeds). I want to do ACCS but really like the idea of a placement with community psych or in a hospice as a junior.
Original post by Kinkerz
You clearly don't attend a medical school that has the primary aim of servicing the future of community medicine. The irony is that this breed of school doesn't even seem to generate better M.R.C.G.P. scores and, anecdotally, it's dissuaded many from careers in primary care.


I thought we had a lot, 15 weeks over the whole course (6 in year 5, 3 in yr 4, 3 in year 3)

Plus we have 2 weeks of community paeds, 3 weeks psych, 3 weeks palliative care

But over 20 is excessive and 15 in one year is too much.

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