Specialty Training

According to the GMC, there are currently around 65 specialties and 31 sub-specialties in the UK. Therefore it’s never too early to find out about them.

One of the best ways to research a specialty is to spend time in it, and to spend time talking to doctors training and working in that field.

You will spend time in some of them during your medical degree and will get the opportunity during your Clinical Phase to choose a specialty and location in which to do your Elective placement. You also have the chance to undertake Special Study Modules (SSMs) of your choice where you could find out more about a particular specialty that interests you.

Outside of your clinical placements you will have the opportunity to talk to doctors from various specialties during careers fairs and other careers activities within the curriculum and at events organised by medical student societies.

Some Specialty Training Programmes offer 'dual' accreditation, for example, you complete your training in specialty A and B (known as Dual Certificate of Completion of Training, or Dual CCT). This means you cover all the competencies required for both specialties.

Your choice will depend on a number of internal and external factors. One approach is to the follow this four step model:

1. Self-exploration – do you know what you want, what you are good at and what you enjoy?
2. Option exploration – do you really know what options exist and is your information accurate or based on stereotypes?
3. Decision-making – there may be several specialties which could make a good fit for you. Do you know how you make good decisions and what might help you make an informed decision?
4. Implementation – having decided what to go for, how will you get there? What do you need to do before even applying?

Key questions

There are some key questions to consider at the decision-making stage, based on your self-exploration and your research of options whether you have a clear idea already or yet to decide from a longer list of specialties.

• Do you think you have the required experience and skills for the specialty?
• Will the work interest you enough and provide enough job satisfaction?
• Do your core values and the things that matter to you most 'fit' with this type of work?
• Do your potential colleagues share your values?
• How will this specialty impact on your broader home life and how much of a factor is this for you?
• What kind of patients will you treat in this specialty?
• What does the training pathway involve?
• What changes do you envisage in the specialty over the course of your career, and how might that impact on you?

It is likely you will have more key questions which are important to you.

For example, if patient contact, high salary or the opportunity to work part-time are important to you, you may target some of your thinking around these factors when comparing specialties.

If you wish to go straight from Foundation Training to Specialty Training, you will usually apply for training programmes around October or November of your Foundation Year 2 (FY2).

We know from the F2 Destination Reports that many doctors decide to take time out between Foundation Training and Specialty Training; informally known as Foundation Year 3 (FY3). For example, to pursue clinical work abroad, work in a service related post (non-training grade post) or pursue other interests such as a teaching fellow, undertake further study or go travelling.

 
If you decide to take time out between foundation and specialty training, you need to be aware of any restrictions on how much time you can spend working in a specialty before applying to it in the future. It is important to check the person specification of the specialty/ies you are interested for the most up-to-date information. For example, some specialties may stipulate no more than 18 or 24 months of relevant experience by the intended start of date of the post.  

With the exception of the GP programme, you cannot defer your place to Specialty Training unless for statutory reasons such as maternity, paternity, adoption leave or ill health as detailed in the 'Gold Guide' (Reference Guide for Postgraduate Specialty Training in the UK).

Find out more about taking time out.

In the main recruitment round, applicants complete an online application form around October or November and are usually invited to interview between December and March.

Interviews may be in person or online. For a number of specialties, you may be asked to provide an application portfolio which demonstrates your suitability for that specialty or training programme. Previously this has been a physical folder taken to a face-to-face interview, but now often requires candidates to upload documents as PDFs to their application.

It is therefore helpful to start gaining and gathering evidence of the required experiences, skills and attributes for the specialty to which you are applying as soon as possible (particularly during Foundation Training but also in medical school). It will also be important to have an up-to-date CV detailing your experience, skills and achievements to date. 

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If you are considering training in another country, you need to find out if:

• your UK Foundation Training is recognised by the country you want to train in
• you need to take any additional exams
• specialty training in that country would be recognised by the UK if you returned to work here

Doctors from European Economic Area (EEA) countries are entitled to registration in other EEA countries as long as they satisfy certain standard criteria.