F1/F2 and family life

**pookymum** · 29-02-2008, 08:59 PM

it's been changed to http://www.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk

doesn't look very positive for me.. Brighton, South East Thames and South West Thames Foundation Schools merged in Oct 2007. A truely massive area which means I can be posted anywhere between margate london bridge and the isle of wight... bit worried now..
oh well maybe things will have changed in 4 years time.

**addy1** · 29-02-2008, 09:23 PM

It isn't as bad as it seems. I got my first choice job as did many others.
You don't get "posted" anywhere, you do actually get to put down preferences.
I haven't heard of anyone (even people with really low scores on the form) getting below their 15th choice. The vast majority getting within their top 5. In fact I would say over half got 1st choice job.

If you consider that my hospital has 57 posts this year, I would have had to have done pretty badly not to get my hospital of choice if I ranked all the posts from that hospital first.

If you have 2 hospitals within commuting distance then your chances are even higher.

And by the way, there are 5 lads in my year this year who all applied to Jersey as they wanted to surf/sail etc. So what seems your idea of a nightmare would be someone elses first choice, and vice versa.

I have a funny feeling this system may stay for a while as it seems to have been the most succesful year for a long time, but knowing MTAS, they will probably change it for just that reason!

I was totally stressed about it before hand, but I ended up at the hospital 1/2 a mile from home!

**pookymum** · 29-02-2008, 11:04 PM

Thanks for the reassurance Addy. I have at least three within a very easy commute (although admittedly S. London ones that are likely to be oversubscribed) so hopefully that will increase my chances. I have a feeling that if I want to be any sort of mother over the next four years I'm not going to be in the top percentiles - I am hoping to pick up or drop off the girls to school occasionally!

The new system does seem to have been really successful if most people get their 1st choices, so I am hoping it sticks around for a while

**addy1** · 29-02-2008, 11:07 PM

If it helps, I was 3rd quartile and still got 1st choice job in major university teaching hospital....

**pookymum** · 01-03-2008, 01:34 AM

Lovely - definitely helps!

**Kim leanne** · 03-03-2008, 04:26 PM

Thanks

**chrismed** · 19-03-2008, 07:43 AM

Hi Kim,

St Albans you have several to choose from

North Central Thames - includes - West Herts ( Hemel Hempstead
(outfirms) and Watford)
- Luton
- Lister (stevenage)
- QE11 (welwyn)
Nearest infirm is Barnet and includes Enfield Chase

Eastern - I beleive overlaps with luton, lister, QEII. they also run a two year programme therefore you are sorted out for FI and F2.
whereas for NCT you have to apply for the F2 posts)

all of which are easily commutable from St Albans

I specifically put NCT as my first choice because I wanted to live at home and start at Hemel in August possibly moving to Watford later in the year.

**dotvicky** · 03-07-2008, 02:29 PM

This is all very reassuring for me. I'm right at the start of this whole process but I want/need to look ahead to understand how it will affect my family life (I have a baby and hopefully will have had a second before I start the course). I have 2 hospitals less than a 15 minute drive away and many more within an hour's commute. It appears that I would be in the Severn deanery (I want to continue to live in Central Bristol) so I think my furthest hospital would be Swindon or Cheltenham both of which would still only be 1 1/2 hours commute. Do people ever get placed outside their deanery? This post seems to suggest not.

Cheers
Vicky

**eternal student** · 16-07-2008, 03:09 PM

I have just graduated from the bristol GEP. My kids were 4 and 1 when I started. Parents get a lot of consideration when allocating attachements. They still expect you to spend half of your time in academies outside Bristol, but they will let you choose which ones. I went to Weston and Taunton as I live near the M5 and are a fairly easy commute for me. Parents living to the east of the city opt for places like Bath and Swindon. It is good to get out of Bristol anyway, the teaching is often better and the patients aren't as overwhelmed by masses of students, unlike the BRI and Southmead!
Good luck!

**dotvicky** · 18-07-2008, 06:42 PM

Thanks for that, eternal student. All useful stuff. I'm not too worried about having to trek around hospitals as long as I can get home at the end of most shifts. I live just off the M32 so I can be pretty flexible.

I live 20 minutes walk from the BRI so that would be very cool!