Foundation years in Scotland

**Gmed** · 21-09-2006, 07:01 PM

I know lost folks are worried about getting a job in London, but what of students studying in London who want to do FY1/2 in another location?

Personally I would like to go Edinburgh or Glasgow. Are these locations as competitive as London or would I be able to get a job with ease (I say that somewhat tongue-in-cheek....)?

Interested to hear from those north of the border who know about these things.

**andy2** · 22-09-2006, 02:18 AM

At present output of Scottish medical schools is around 800 a year, and there are 800 foundation posts. Some people go south for FY, so there are spaces.
Just as in the rest of the UK it is pretty competative, and being a 'local' may be of some advantage - that said if you are a top student in London, odds on you will be a top student in Scotland too -med students being much of a muchness. The key thing is to find out about the hospitals before you apply, there are shite jobs and great jobs just like everywhere else.

**Gmed** · 22-09-2006, 01:33 PM

Originally Posted by Simon

No, I don't think that would be the case. There is a lot of migration south from Scotland, and a lot of people come up here, for Foundation years. So I don't think being at med school in London is some passport to medical immortality...

I hope I didn't give you the wrong impression regarding the merits of different areas/med schools, because I don't have any opinion on the matter.

However, I was under the impression that there is more demand for jobs in London than anywhere else in the country. I am simply trying to guage how much demand there is for jobs in Scotland generally, and how it varies across Scotland.

My assumption is pretty much that Glasgow and Edinburgh are the most competitive environments in Scotland. Is this correct?

Secondly, I am interested in how the demand for good jobs compares to that in London (where I am of the opinion that they are practically impossible to get unless you are some sort of superhuman CV-building machine).

**yazoo** · 23-09-2006, 11:14 AM

Originally Posted by Gmed

However, I was under the impression that there is more demand for jobs in London than anywhere else in the country. I am simply trying to guage how much demand there is for jobs in Scotland generally, and how it varies across Scotland.

My assumption is pretty much that Glasgow and Edinburgh are the most competitive environments in Scotland. Is this correct?

Secondly, I am interested in how the demand for good jobs compares to that in London (where I am of the opinion that they are practically impossible to get unless you are some sort of superhuman CV-building machine).

There is high demand for the good jobs everywhere. As an external applicant you would find it difficult to gauge local competition unless you have some sort of local insight (e.g. contact at that hospital etc).

As Andy said - top students get the top jobs - and that applies aywhere in the UK. But there are not very many of these students. And not only do you have to be very good in a variety of areas (i.e. not just academics), but you also have to fill in the application taking great time and effort.

Its the good students just below the top students who may suffer most at the hands of MTAS. It really is very important to be strategic with your application if location is a priority for you. This is harder without local knowledge.