Where am I heading????????

[sara7000]

Hi, I apologise if this is in the wrong form. I am a bit confused as to howmany years exactly and through what process you become a specialist? A GP told me the age is 27 by the time you, if u goto uni at 18, become a gp and for a consultant is 31. But what course path do you take? For how many years do you remain a junior doctor? What assessments do you take and when? Any other relevant inf?...
Thnx

[art-of-the-table]

Once you qualify you will spend two years in Foundation Years, designed to ease you into hospital life and give you the basic experience of working with others as a doctor. After that, typically, you will enter two years of Core Training (Medical or Surgical), though you can also move towards General Practice. Some specialities such as O&G, Paediatrics, Psychiatry have their own basic training. Then you apply for a specialist post which takes you to consultancy.

At the moment it will take 5 years from end of med school to become a GP, taking you to age 27/28 if you did a 5/6 years degree. But if you want to do any other specialist, you are talking 30 at least and even more in surgery if you do fellowships. Many people become consultants at 35/38 in surgery.

[Emzeebubs]

I thought it was 3 years core medical/surgical training.

Also, currently the training for GP after finishing the two foundation years is three years long as mentioned above. However, I'm fairly sure that there was talk of sometime in the near future extending GP training to 5 years AFTER the foundation years? Anyone know anything more about whether this is the case?

[yazoo]

Also, currently the training for GP after finishing the two foundation years is three years long as mentioned above. However, I'm fairly sure that there was talk of sometime in the near future extending GP training to 5 years AFTER the foundation years? Anyone know anything more about whether this is the case?

Yes. Definitely in the plans. Apparently makes for GPs who feel better trained (now there's a suprise! Who would have thought an additional 2 years working in GPland would make a difference (rolls eyes)!).

Core training can be 2 or 3 years, depending what, where, how and whom!

[yazoo]

For those interested in GP training, see BMJ careers 18 July 2009

[Mel Brown]

Check out " Secrets of Success: Getting into Specialty Training"...