Just a quick message to wish all our trainees and blog readers a Happy, Healthy and Successful New Year.
Our small group training sessions start again for trainees in general practice on Tuesday 4th January and the whole day sessions start again on Thursday 6th January at Drighlington.
Best wishes to everyone.
Friday, 31 December 2010
Monday, 20 December 2010
AKT feedback
After each exam round the RCGP publishes feedback about how candidates have done in the exam and gives advice about the broad issues where candidates have done not so well. They have recently published feedback for the October AKT. Click here to go to the RCGP website to read the whole document - its only two pages long and very interesting.
But if you want a brief summary then they gave advice about five specific items.
(1) Answer all the questions. They comment 'that candidates who answered all items performed considerably better than those who did not'. The RCGP says it does not want to encourage guessing in clinical practice but it is a valid examination technique to guess when you are not sure of the answer - you have nothing to lose.
(2) Candidates did not do well on ECG interpretation
(3) Candidates are still unfamiliar with normal childhood development and UK vaccination schedules.
(4) Candidates should revise the diagnostic criteria for diabetes.
(5) Candidates should revise about the safe prescribing of particularly dangerous drugs in practice e.g. methotrexate.
This advice is really good because in the past, issues that candidates have performed poorly on in one AKT get re tested in further AKTs - so this a heads up about what to revise.
But if you want a brief summary then they gave advice about five specific items.
(1) Answer all the questions. They comment 'that candidates who answered all items performed considerably better than those who did not'. The RCGP says it does not want to encourage guessing in clinical practice but it is a valid examination technique to guess when you are not sure of the answer - you have nothing to lose.
(2) Candidates did not do well on ECG interpretation
(3) Candidates are still unfamiliar with normal childhood development and UK vaccination schedules.
(4) Candidates should revise the diagnostic criteria for diabetes.
(5) Candidates should revise about the safe prescribing of particularly dangerous drugs in practice e.g. methotrexate.
This advice is really good because in the past, issues that candidates have performed poorly on in one AKT get re tested in further AKTs - so this a heads up about what to revise.
Monday, 6 December 2010
Dr Richard Adams FRCGP ...
Congratulations to Richard Adams who has recently been appointed a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners because of his services to education. Above is a picture of Richard in his glad rags (note the tie ...) when he recently received his award.
Congratulations and well done.
Monday, 29 November 2010
ES confusion - for trainers and trainees
We have just done mock ARCP panels with our hospital based trainees. Quite a few are struggling because their educational supervisor has not created a review or signed off their declarations.
WAKE UP TRAINERS - you need to create an ES review date and sign off their declarations for all your supervisees at the start of each 6 month, so if you have not done it yet DO IT NOW!
AND FOR TRAINEES - when you come to have your ES meeting you need to have completed all the self rating scales. In the past it did not matter but now your ES will not be able to complete the review until this is done.
I don't know why I am shouting this as I have just done an ES review and it took me and my supervisee ages to sort out all the stuff to allow us to complete it.
Actually I do know why I am shouting about it - everything with the ePortfolio seems to change every six months (I should not really be surprised with this because it has always been so) and it is so FRUSTRATING!!!
WAKE UP TRAINERS - you need to create an ES review date and sign off their declarations for all your supervisees at the start of each 6 month, so if you have not done it yet DO IT NOW!
AND FOR TRAINEES - when you come to have your ES meeting you need to have completed all the self rating scales. In the past it did not matter but now your ES will not be able to complete the review until this is done.
I don't know why I am shouting this as I have just done an ES review and it took me and my supervisee ages to sort out all the stuff to allow us to complete it.
Actually I do know why I am shouting about it - everything with the ePortfolio seems to change every six months (I should not really be surprised with this because it has always been so) and it is so FRUSTRATING!!!
Monday, 22 November 2010
Tick, tock, tick, tock .... boom!
I was an assessor at the ST3 mock CSA we had a Normanton on Tuesday. The case I was assessing was easy and staightforwards. It was a 35 year old taking microgynon who had had it stopped by the practice nurse because she was a smoker. She came to discuss alternatives.
However, of the eight doctors we assessed only three reached the end of the consultation and one of the doctors who gave her a prescription gave her the wrong advice about how to take it.
The main issue was TIME. Most doctors were very thorough but they simply spent too long on the consultation and never concluded it. They would have failed because they did not reach the management stage of the consultation.
The take home message I have is that you only have 10 minutes, you need to be consulting at 10 minutes and you need to have some impetus to get to the end! To pass CSA you need to be patient centred, with evidence based options and do it in 10 minutes - easy !!!!
However, of the eight doctors we assessed only three reached the end of the consultation and one of the doctors who gave her a prescription gave her the wrong advice about how to take it.
The main issue was TIME. Most doctors were very thorough but they simply spent too long on the consultation and never concluded it. They would have failed because they did not reach the management stage of the consultation.
The take home message I have is that you only have 10 minutes, you need to be consulting at 10 minutes and you need to have some impetus to get to the end! To pass CSA you need to be patient centred, with evidence based options and do it in 10 minutes - easy !!!!
Saturday, 13 November 2010
Video security
At the Primary Care Educators seminar last week, one of the Training Programme Directors reported an incident where a video camera and tape of consultations was stolen from a practice. This was reported to the practices local Primary Care Trust and a full Significant Untoward Incident Report was completed. This was a major loss of significant material of a confidential nature and exposed the practice, trainer and trainee to allegations of non compliance with Data Protection regulations and possible reporting to the GMC for loss of significant data.
This is really, really serious ...
So, it got me thinking. What should we be doing to protect against this sort of thing. At the Pontefract Trainers Workshop this week we discussed this incident and came up with a list of suggestions:
- Keep your consulting room door locked when you leave the room if the video is set up
- Lock the camera and tapes securely away when not in use
- Wipe all tapes at the end of each attachment
- Trainers should add a bit to trainees contracts and induction pack about keeping camera and tapes secure
Helpfull our take home message was that we should inform trainees that if anything is stolen it is YOUR FAULT....
Friday, 5 November 2010
Management savings getting close to home ...
I was away at the West Yorkshire Locality Primary Care Educators seminar at Harrogate yesterday. This is a meeting of local training programme directors. In the past these events have lasted two days with an overnight stay, but they are now reduced to just one day - alas the 'proper English breakfast' has gone, but that is probably good for my waistline anyway!
At our meeting yesterday a constant theme through all of our discussions was how tight money is for training, there is none for expansion and management costs are expected to be drastically reduced. So, as well as me missing my proper cooked breakfast one of the things current trainees will notice is some tightening up on the rules for travel and accommodation claims. It was agreed yesterday that the Deanery will no longer reimburse travel and accommodation for attendance at exams - so from now on you will have to pay your own way to get to Croydon for the CSA!
At our meeting yesterday a constant theme through all of our discussions was how tight money is for training, there is none for expansion and management costs are expected to be drastically reduced. So, as well as me missing my proper cooked breakfast one of the things current trainees will notice is some tightening up on the rules for travel and accommodation claims. It was agreed yesterday that the Deanery will no longer reimburse travel and accommodation for attendance at exams - so from now on you will have to pay your own way to get to Croydon for the CSA!
Friday, 29 October 2010
How is the CSA marked?
In the past to pass CSA you needed to get 8 clear or marginal passes out of 12 cases. The marking schedule has now changed. For each case you are given a mark between one and four on the three exam domains (data gathering, clinical management and interpersonal skills) and then an overall mark. One = clear fail, two = borderline fail, three = borderline pass and four = clear pass. The marks are then added up and you get a percentage score for the CSA exam.
The pass mark is set by averaging the score of candidates that CSA examiners have said are borderline. The RCGP then applies some magic number mystery stuff (borderline group method) to these average pass marks and a pass mark for the exam on that day is produced (this is what Richard Adams says if we have got it right!!)
In the past you could pass the CSA with 8 borderline passes and doing badly in the other cases. For example if you got 8 borderline passes, three borderline fails and two clear fails under the old system you would pass. Under the new system you would score 57% and fail. Richard Adams, our local tame CSA examiner, says that the pass rate is 60 - 70% (although the score to pass in the September CSA was 76%).
For each case you can get 16 points ( 1-4 per three domains, and 1-4 on the overall score). In order to pass, if the pass mark is 70%, you need to get on average 12 per case = 3 per domain overall.
So, in order to pass you need to do reasonably well in all the cases - if you do poorly in a few and get some ones and twos, you will fail. Which maybe one of the reasons why it is more difficult to pass.
Not wishing to panic you, but to prepare you need to do COTs and COTs and COTS, and be the doctor at HDR!
The pass mark is set by averaging the score of candidates that CSA examiners have said are borderline. The RCGP then applies some magic number mystery stuff (borderline group method) to these average pass marks and a pass mark for the exam on that day is produced (this is what Richard Adams says if we have got it right!!)
In the past you could pass the CSA with 8 borderline passes and doing badly in the other cases. For example if you got 8 borderline passes, three borderline fails and two clear fails under the old system you would pass. Under the new system you would score 57% and fail. Richard Adams, our local tame CSA examiner, says that the pass rate is 60 - 70% (although the score to pass in the September CSA was 76%).
For each case you can get 16 points ( 1-4 per three domains, and 1-4 on the overall score). In order to pass, if the pass mark is 70%, you need to get on average 12 per case = 3 per domain overall.
So, in order to pass you need to do reasonably well in all the cases - if you do poorly in a few and get some ones and twos, you will fail. Which maybe one of the reasons why it is more difficult to pass.
Not wishing to panic you, but to prepare you need to do COTs and COTs and COTS, and be the doctor at HDR!
Friday, 22 October 2010
Autumn CSA results .....
Not sure whether you have seen it or not but in Yorkshire only 10 out of 20 candidates who took the CSA this time passed. In DWP our pass rate was higher than this with three out of four candidates passing. This pass rate is a lot lower than in previous sittings of the CSA. The RCGP was reported as saying that this was because the quality of candidates was lower than in previous sittings - the doctors sitting it are more likely to have failed CSA before and undertaking remedial training and we know that the more times you take it the more likely you are to fail ....
Marking of the CSA has changed this time; all the cases count, an overall mark is given and the 'the borderline group method' of marking is now used. I have read the RCGPs explanation of how the marking scheme works click here for a link to the RCGP website but I would not like to have to explain how it works to anybody ....!!
So ... in order to make sure you pass first time do lots of COTs, volunteer to play the doctor in the CSA cases at ST3 HDR and click here to download what the RCGP says about what you should do to avoid failing.
Marking of the CSA has changed this time; all the cases count, an overall mark is given and the 'the borderline group method' of marking is now used. I have read the RCGPs explanation of how the marking scheme works click here for a link to the RCGP website but I would not like to have to explain how it works to anybody ....!!
So ... in order to make sure you pass first time do lots of COTs, volunteer to play the doctor in the CSA cases at ST3 HDR and click here to download what the RCGP says about what you should do to avoid failing.
Friday, 15 October 2010
Learning Log Entries - how many?
At the Pontefract Trainers Workshop yesterday we discussed the issue of trainees who have not started to engage with the ePortfolio. This mainly concerned new doctors to the scheme who are in ST1. What the trainers meant by 'not engaging' is not making regular entries on their ePortfolio or have only made a small number.
Of course there is no dictate from on high about the number or frequency of entries you should make. The only advice is that your ePortfolio should show a progression in your learning over the entirety of your training programme. Not very helpful if you are after advice about a specific number of entries or advice about how frequently you should make these entries. From my perspective the time to start doing something about inadequate ePortfolio entries is NOW rather than new May, just before an ARCP panel.
So ... how many and how often. I would expect a minimum of two entries per week, every week. So that means that we would expect you to have made twenty entries in your ePortfolio by now. If you haven't then the time to start is NOW rather than in May when if your ePortfolio entries are inadequate you face the long, long walk up the hill to an ARCP panel meeting in Leeds ... And we know you don't want to do that!
Of course there is no dictate from on high about the number or frequency of entries you should make. The only advice is that your ePortfolio should show a progression in your learning over the entirety of your training programme. Not very helpful if you are after advice about a specific number of entries or advice about how frequently you should make these entries. From my perspective the time to start doing something about inadequate ePortfolio entries is NOW rather than new May, just before an ARCP panel.
So ... how many and how often. I would expect a minimum of two entries per week, every week. So that means that we would expect you to have made twenty entries in your ePortfolio by now. If you haven't then the time to start is NOW rather than in May when if your ePortfolio entries are inadequate you face the long, long walk up the hill to an ARCP panel meeting in Leeds ... And we know you don't want to do that!
Tuesday, 5 October 2010
No free lunch ....
At the hospital trainees whole day teaching sessions we have had an interesting debate on whether doctors should accept gifts from the pharmaceutical industry - post it notes, pens and lunchtime sandwiches etc etc. In the group I facilitated I was really surprised how much support there was for accepting these promotional gifts as most of the doctors in my group thought it did not affect them and that they could clearly distinguish between marketing and education.
The debate has resurfaced with some discussion on the Google group about drug company sponsored educational meetings. The meeting was about neuropathic pain and was sponsored by Pfizer. Pfizer of course make Lyrica - which has global sales of $2.8 billion dollars in 2009 - click here for Pfizers 2009 Financial report. In 2009 sales increased by 10% compared with 2008.
If you look at comparative costs a 28 day course of Lyrica (pregabalin) 50mg costs the NHS £96.60 compared to £4.99 for an equivalent dose of gabapentin (300mg). The increase in Lyrica sales have happened despite authorative advice that 'in patients with neuropathic pain, there is no statistically significant difference in clinical response rates between TCA, anticonvlusants and SNRIs' - click here for the link to MeReC Rapid Review published by the National Prescribing Centre.
The reason why Pfizer have been so successful is because of their effective marketing campaign. It is estimated that in the UK there are 8,000 pharmaceutical representatives to promote their products to 60,000 NHS doctors - not a bad ratio, and that big pharma spends £10,000 per doctor on promotional activities. To read more click here for a link to No Free Lunch - which is a website that aims to expose the activities of Big Pharma in the NHS.
So next time you accept a drug rep sandwich please remember there is no such thing as a free lunch!
The debate has resurfaced with some discussion on the Google group about drug company sponsored educational meetings. The meeting was about neuropathic pain and was sponsored by Pfizer. Pfizer of course make Lyrica - which has global sales of $2.8 billion dollars in 2009 - click here for Pfizers 2009 Financial report. In 2009 sales increased by 10% compared with 2008.
If you look at comparative costs a 28 day course of Lyrica (pregabalin) 50mg costs the NHS £96.60 compared to £4.99 for an equivalent dose of gabapentin (300mg). The increase in Lyrica sales have happened despite authorative advice that 'in patients with neuropathic pain, there is no statistically significant difference in clinical response rates between TCA, anticonvlusants and SNRIs' - click here for the link to MeReC Rapid Review published by the National Prescribing Centre.
The reason why Pfizer have been so successful is because of their effective marketing campaign. It is estimated that in the UK there are 8,000 pharmaceutical representatives to promote their products to 60,000 NHS doctors - not a bad ratio, and that big pharma spends £10,000 per doctor on promotional activities. To read more click here for a link to No Free Lunch - which is a website that aims to expose the activities of Big Pharma in the NHS.
So next time you accept a drug rep sandwich please remember there is no such thing as a free lunch!
Monday, 20 September 2010
Rotations for 2011!
As the nights draw in and the leaves start turning yellow it comes to that time of year when I start thinking about vacancies in August 2011 ... again! Applications to start GP training in August 2011 open on Monday 22nd November 2010. Further details can be found at the National GP Recruitment Website click here.
So - I have started looking at what rotations we will have and where we will have vacant slots. We are not able to swap any of our current trainees hospital posts but we maybe able to swap GP posts (as long as it will not upset the rota). If you would like me to consider a swap then click here and tell me what you would like to do. I cannot promise I will be able to do it but I will consider it.
Remember, its only nine weeks till the recruitment process for 2011 starts!
So - I have started looking at what rotations we will have and where we will have vacant slots. We are not able to swap any of our current trainees hospital posts but we maybe able to swap GP posts (as long as it will not upset the rota). If you would like me to consider a swap then click here and tell me what you would like to do. I cannot promise I will be able to do it but I will consider it.
Remember, its only nine weeks till the recruitment process for 2011 starts!
Monday, 13 September 2010
Deanery Quality Monitoring Visit
The Deanery is inspecting our training posts at Mid Yorks NHS Trust next week. This is part of the Deaneries planned Quality Monitoring of all training posts in the region. We are particularly interested in trainees good and bad experiences about their hospital training posts. The things we are particularly interested in are:
- Ability to get to whole day training
- Clinical supervision
- Organisation of post
- Any areas of concern that you feel the Deanery should know about
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Preparing for AKT
If you are thinking of doing the AKT this time then you can now book your place via the RCGP website now. The Training Programme Directors advice that you should take the AKT exam in ST2 as soon as you have done some general practice. If you have done a general practice post in ST1 then you should be doing it now. The next AKT exam is 27th October and you can apply between 7th - 24th September via the RCGP website or 9th to 27th September via the Pearson Vue website.
The Yorkshire and Humber Deanery has produce a helpful guide about how to think about your preparation for the exam. Click here to download the Word document.
Another resource that trainees who have passed AKT have found helpful is Pass Medicine - click here to go to their website.
Good luck!
The Yorkshire and Humber Deanery has produce a helpful guide about how to think about your preparation for the exam. Click here to download the Word document.
Another resource that trainees who have passed AKT have found helpful is Pass Medicine - click here to go to their website.
Good luck!
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Leave
There has been a lot of discussion (and hot air) about leave on the Google discussion group over the last few days. Below I have clarified what the position is:
Annual leave
The annual leave entitlement is 25 days for GP ST1/2 and 3. If you have trained in a different speciality first and are at Point 3 of the speciality payscale (this is NOT the same as ST3) then the leave entitlement increases to 30 days.
Study leave
The annual study leave entitlement is 30 days per year. This includes half day release, but you cannot increase your study leave by adding half day release sessions you have missed due to annual leave, sickness etc. To apply for study leave you need to first discuss your plans with your GP trainer (when in general practice) or your clinical supervisor (when in hospital posts).
I think that is all perfectly clear now?
Annual leave
The annual leave entitlement is 25 days for GP ST1/2 and 3. If you have trained in a different speciality first and are at Point 3 of the speciality payscale (this is NOT the same as ST3) then the leave entitlement increases to 30 days.
Study leave
The annual study leave entitlement is 30 days per year. This includes half day release, but you cannot increase your study leave by adding half day release sessions you have missed due to annual leave, sickness etc. To apply for study leave you need to first discuss your plans with your GP trainer (when in general practice) or your clinical supervisor (when in hospital posts).
I think that is all perfectly clear now?
Monday, 23 August 2010
Whole day evaluation forms
We evaluate our teaching sessions in a couple of ways. Firstly we would like immediate feedback to the facilitators about how the session has gone; what was good, what could have been done differently and any other comments. These are read by the facilitators and often help decide what and how we will plan future sessions.
The other way we use evaluation forms is to fullfil our requirement to feedback to the Deanery about how the sessions we have run have been evaluated by our trainees. In order to do this Moira needs copies of your feedback forms and we have agreed that the easiest way to do this is for our trainees to email feedback forms to Moira at the Medical Education Centre.
Click here for Moira email address.
Click here to get an electronic copy of the Evaluation form
The other way we use evaluation forms is to fullfil our requirement to feedback to the Deanery about how the sessions we have run have been evaluated by our trainees. In order to do this Moira needs copies of your feedback forms and we have agreed that the easiest way to do this is for our trainees to email feedback forms to Moira at the Medical Education Centre.
Click here for Moira email address.
Click here to get an electronic copy of the Evaluation form
Friday, 13 August 2010
Current teaching programmes
The new teaching programme for all three of our small teaching groups are now on the website.
Click here for the programme for trainees in GP1 - those in their first GP teaching post and going to Pinderfields on a Tuesday afternoon.
Click here for the programme for trainees in ST3 and click here for the group list - those in their last year of training and going to Drighlington on a Tuesday afternoon.
Click here for the programme dates for trainees who are in hospital posts and click here for the list of doctors in Group A and here for the list of doctors in Group B - as it says on the tin, these dates are for trainees who are doing a hospital post and go to Kings Medical Centre, Normanton for a whole day on a Thursday.
Easy ...
Click here for the programme for trainees in GP1 - those in their first GP teaching post and going to Pinderfields on a Tuesday afternoon.
Click here for the programme for trainees in ST3 and click here for the group list - those in their last year of training and going to Drighlington on a Tuesday afternoon.
Click here for the programme dates for trainees who are in hospital posts and click here for the list of doctors in Group A and here for the list of doctors in Group B - as it says on the tin, these dates are for trainees who are doing a hospital post and go to Kings Medical Centre, Normanton for a whole day on a Thursday.
Easy ...
Monday, 9 August 2010
Educational Supervisors
All trainees are allocated an educational supervisor. Click here to download the list of supervisors and their supervisees. If you are new to the scheme you should contact your supervisor so that you can arrange a face to face meeting with them before the end of September. Click here to get to the GP Posts page on the website. If you are not sure where they are then the Google search button works on the website for trainers names.
You need to register with the RCGP NOW and once you have registered it takes a few days for the Deanery to up date your ePortfolio so that your educational supervisor can see your ePortfolio. If you have not yet registered with the RCGP then click here to get registered that you are undertaking GP training.
You need to register with the RCGP NOW and once you have registered it takes a few days for the Deanery to up date your ePortfolio so that your educational supervisor can see your ePortfolio. If you have not yet registered with the RCGP then click here to get registered that you are undertaking GP training.
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
Welcome!
A very warm welcome to all our new trainees to the scheme.
If you are in a hospital post we have divided you into two groups. Click on the links to check which group you are in:
For hospital trainees in group A the Induction and Introductory Meeting will be on Thursday, 12th August. For trainees in group B Induction and Introductory Meeting will be on Thursday, 19th August. The Induction will be held at Kings Medical Centre, Normanton, WF6 2AZ. Click here for instructions.
For trainees who are in their first GP post, the first Small Group Teaching session will be held on Tuesday 10th August at Pinderfields Medical Education Centre starting at 2 pm.
For trainees who are in GP training posts in ST3, the first Small Group Teaching session will be held on Tuesday 10th August at Adwalton Surgery, Drighlington. Click here for instructions.
We look forwards to seeing you at these Induction and Introductory sessions but just to remind you that attendance at these sessions is compulsory and that we chase up non attenders!
See you there!
If you are in a hospital post we have divided you into two groups. Click on the links to check which group you are in:
For hospital trainees in group A the Induction and Introductory Meeting will be on Thursday, 12th August. For trainees in group B Induction and Introductory Meeting will be on Thursday, 19th August. The Induction will be held at Kings Medical Centre, Normanton, WF6 2AZ. Click here for instructions.
For trainees who are in their first GP post, the first Small Group Teaching session will be held on Tuesday 10th August at Pinderfields Medical Education Centre starting at 2 pm.
For trainees who are in GP training posts in ST3, the first Small Group Teaching session will be held on Tuesday 10th August at Adwalton Surgery, Drighlington. Click here for instructions.
We look forwards to seeing you at these Induction and Introductory sessions but just to remind you that attendance at these sessions is compulsory and that we chase up non attenders!
See you there!
Saturday, 31 July 2010
MRCGP - some rule changes
Sue Rendel, the MRCGP chief examiner has just announced some MRCGP rule changes about how long a pass at AKT and CSA is valid for, the number of attempts you can make and when you can take AKT or CSA.
- AKT and CSA passes will now be valid until you get your CCT (certificate of completion of training) - in the past they only lasted for three years.
- For new trainees you will only be allowed four attempts at both the AKT and CSA. For existing trainees you can make unlimited attempts as long as you still have a valid training number.
- And finally AKT can only be taken during ST2 and CSA only in ST3.
I think that the biggest impact these changes will have is for doctors taking maternity leave and coming back part time. In the past if you did AKT in ST2, then took maternity leave and came back part time, you could easily find that your AKT pass had expired before you finished your training.
Now it will not!
Wednesday, 28 July 2010
Swapping posts!!!
I had an email from a new doctor to the scheme who starts in August asking if he could swap his rotation. The answer is a categorical NO!!!
The Deanery say we can't, we don't have the capacity to arrange swaps, personnel and practices have already been informed about the doctors that are coming so I am afraid that the answer is NO SWAPS!
Well, to be honest we do occasionally arrange swaps under limited circumstances. We maybe able to swap GP posts (as long as it does not upset the rota etc etc), we occasionally make mistakes in our rota planning (ie put two doctors into one post, miss doctors off the rota) and if we have made a mistake will ask doctors to swap inorder to rectify our mistakes and we have also arranged swaps inorder to make room for doctors requiring remedial or extra training. But that is it - the usual answer to requests to swap is NO.
The Deanery say we can't, we don't have the capacity to arrange swaps, personnel and practices have already been informed about the doctors that are coming so I am afraid that the answer is NO SWAPS!
Well, to be honest we do occasionally arrange swaps under limited circumstances. We maybe able to swap GP posts (as long as it does not upset the rota etc etc), we occasionally make mistakes in our rota planning (ie put two doctors into one post, miss doctors off the rota) and if we have made a mistake will ask doctors to swap inorder to rectify our mistakes and we have also arranged swaps inorder to make room for doctors requiring remedial or extra training. But that is it - the usual answer to requests to swap is NO.
Thursday, 22 July 2010
New practice - have you been in contact?
If you are starting in a new GP training practice in August then you need to get in contact with the practice and bring them the documentation that they will need to see before you start in your post. You need to complete some WYCSA forms and will required to show your original GMC certificate and birth certificate or passport. You need to ensure that your Medical Defence insurance is up to date and will cover you whilst working in general practice. You get reimbursed the cost of this insurance but you need to organise it first. You will also need to bring a P45 form from your last employer and finally make sure that your car insurance will cover you for using your car whilst driving.
It all seems a bit complicated but unless it is all done you won't get paid!
Thursday, 15 July 2010
Why blog?
This is the first blog on the new Dewsbury, Wakefield and Pontefract GP Training blog site. As per normal convention the first blog is about why write a blog? The main reason is that I am about to revamp our website, move it to a new domain name and I want to link the blog to the first page in order to keep it up to date and fresh. Rhubarb, Rhubarb .... (the best GP Training Newsletter in the world!) is about to end and I want the blog to replace it. My thinking is that small amounts of news will update the website and be easier to maintain. I intend to send the blog text round our Google group to keep subscribers up to date.
The Dewsbury, Wakefield and Pontefract GP training scheme provides GP training for doctors who want to become GPs in hospitals and GP training practices across Dewsbury, Wakefield and Pontefract - bit like what it says on the tin! I am starting this now so that I will have some content when we update the website. This blog and any comments is open to everyone on the www - so our current trainees should use moderation in commenting about any posts, please.
You do not know who might be reading it!
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