Chapter 1 : Introduction
1.01 Purpose of ST / CT programmes and interview processes
There are various training programmes open to doctors who have completed their foundation years in the UK :
• General Practitioner Training o A four-year programme o Doctors on the programme are designated by GPST and the year of their programme , ( GPST1 ; GPST2 ; GPST3 ; GPST4 )
• Core Training ( CT ) programmes o Two or three-year programmes , ( CT1 , CT2 , CT3 ) including
• Core Surgical Training , ( CST )
• Internal Medicine Training , ( IMT )
• Specialist Training programmes o Some specialties offer “ run-through ” training for doctors who have completed the foundation programmes . They are planned to range in duration from 5 to 8 years , ( ST1 , ST2 … ST8 ). A Certificate of Completion of Training at the end of the programme enables inclusion in the General Medical Council ’ s Specialist Register and applications for substantive Consultant posts . o Other programmes are open to doctors who have completed relevant Core Training where they join at ST3 or ST4 level .
These programmes are designed and coordinated to deliver the workforce which will meet the nation ’ s future healthcare requirements . Our NHS needs a balanced complement of doctors , but this is a major logistical challenge as there are many unpredictable factors . The UK population doesn ’ t stand still during the years that a doctor is in training . There is relocation , immigration and emigration . There are births and deaths - predictable to an extent but heavily influenced by behavioural change . The medical profession is also in a state of flux . On the personnel level it is also shaped by migration as well as by doctors taking part-time work options and retirements . Medical advancements can quickly change ways of working , as can any amendments to the
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