Recruitment
Frimley GP VTS is within KSS (Kent Surrey
Sussex) GP Deanery and is part of the West Surrey Training Programme for GP
Training. As expected, from August 2007 onwards, all applications are made
through the current national recruitment programme.
At present, we have 12 established training rotations, with
ST1 and ST2 years at local hospital trusts and ST3 year in local training
practices. KSS Deanery is aiming to introduce GP placements in ST1 and ST2
during 2008 and 2009.
We are happy to offer careers advice and informal
advice about applying to the schemes (please contact Richard de Ferrars, details
on the Course Organiser page).
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Hospital Posts
ST1 - General Medicine
Geriatrics
Accident
and Emergency
ST2 - Adult Psychiatry
Paediatrics or
Obs & Gynae
Child
Psychiatry or ENT or Orthopaedics
Frimley Park Hospital is an excellent DGH with a
broad spread of specialties and an active, well-supported post-graduate centre.
Most of the posts in ST1 and ST2 are at FPH. In addition to everything that you
would expect at a DGH, FPH also is a regional military hospital. In both the
hospital and GP specialty training posts, input from the military medical and
nursing staff is highly valued.
The Ridgewood Centre is a mile up the road from
Frimley Park Hospital. This is on the site of one of Brompton Hospital's old TB
sanatoriums and is the location for most of the local hospital-based psychiatry
services (adult and elderly)
St Peters Hospital, Chertsey is only a few miles
up the road but this could be 15 minutes or 115 minutes depending on the mood on
the motorways! This is a full DGH with its own large GP Training Programme and
it is also the host for one of our Child & Adolescent Mental Health posts.
All our training posts are 4 month posts, rotating on
"change-over day" (first Wednesday) of August, December and April. The
basic model for all our training rotations is "core medical skills" in
ST1 and "specialised posts" in ST2. Please remember that a hospital
post will form one small part of your lifelong knowledge & skills in a
particular clinical area. We have a comprehensive set of learning objectives and
a resource library for all areas of the GP Curriculum and exposure to a
particular clinical specialty in a 4 month post is never a necessity.
Accident & Emergency
A busy but well-staffed unit. There is a comprehensive induction course
for all new doctors, during which the department is covered by other staff. The
unit is well-equipped and has seen the addition of a Paediatric A&E section.
The nursing staff are very good and a combination of civilian and military
posts. The SHO's work a full shift system.
General Medicine & Geriatrics
There are a wide variety of medical posts on the VTS. Typically, the 2
posts will be one general medical post and one Geriatrics / Rehab post -
invaluable experience wherever you work as a GP! The rota is well-staffed and is
approximately 1 in 8, on a partial shift system. The medical
"mega-teams" are a sociable lot and always active in the junior
doctor's mess! There is a weekly teaching programme as well as other events
including journal club and audit meetings.
Paediatrics
Good, all-round general Paediatric experience with an emphasis on the
general rather than the neonatal paediatrics. There is good senior cover when
on-call. The rota is a partial shift with a week of nights worked roughly one
week in seven. There is regular ward-round teaching and weekly teaching sessions
and there is a strong emphasis on learning Paediatrics for General Practice.
Download - About the Paediatrics Post
Obstetrics & Gynaecology
A busy post combining obstetrics and gynaecology rather than working in
separate departments. SHO's are well-supported whilst working on CDS / Labour
Ward. The rota is a partial shift system, with weekly duties rotating through
covering A&E and EPU, covering the Gynae wards, CDS / Labour Ward, OP
clinics and night duty. Again there is a well-protected weekly teaching
programme.
ENT
This is always a popular area of interest for GPR's and GP's alike
and we now have a small number of ENT posts available on the VTS. Much of the
work is clinic-based and you will develop invaluable experience and skills in
the clinical area. For added interest, the on-call rota combines with the
Orthopaedics rota!
Orthopaedics
This is another new post on the Frimley VTS (and also on many other VTS).
Musculo-skeletal medicine is a huge area of work in General Practice. The post
at FPH incorporates practical learning in clinics and ward-based support for the
Orthopaedic FY1 team.
Download - About the Orthopaedics Post
Adult Psychiatry
These posts are at The Ridgewood Centre. Adult psychiatry provides
tremendous learning opportunities relevant to GP work and is included on all VTS
rotations. Some of the posts are with the main adult unit, others are with the
department of Old Age Psychiatry on the same site. The on-call rota is roughly 1
in 8. There is a comprehensive teaching programme with weekly study afternoons
at Farnham Road Hospital (Guildford)
Download - About the Adult Psychiatry Post
Child Psychiatry
We have a limited number of posts with the CAMHS based on the St
Peters Hospital Site. A year or two in General Practice will soon show you how
useful this post could be…… There will be some cross-over and support from
the GP Training Programme at St Peters (Programme Director Dr Tracy Collins).
Download - About the Child Psychiatry Post
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Training Practices
A large proportion of practices around
Frimley Park Hospital train ST3 / GPR’s and most are also involved in medical
student and foundation programme teaching as well. Therefore we always have a large Registrar group.
Many
practices have more than one trainer and some practices train more than one GPR.
The practices are mainly urban and suburban, in and around Camberley,
Farnborough, Aldershot, Fleet and Farnham. You have to be enthusiastic to be a
GP Trainer! – we all work hard to provide an enjoyable, stimulating and
successful year. We do encourage and support GPR’s with all the stages of
their training, from filling in the forms at the start of the year, to taking
the MRCGP.
Here are some details of the training practices in the
Frimley District. Please click on the
practice name for further details.
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About Frimley
The Frimley
VTS is centred around Frimley Park Hospital (FPH), close to Camberley, on the
Surrey-Hampshire border. We may be biased, but we think that this area has
everything! There are several large towns with shopping centres close by; we are
surrounded by pine forests, heathland and the North Downs, all are ideal for
leisure and relaxation; the area is well-served by road connections to London,
the West Country and the South Coast. Many one year GPR’s commute from West
London. Perhaps this is why both
the three year VTS and the one-year GPR posts have always been popular choices
for GP registrars.
Accommodation
& Commuting
Living anywhere in the South East is difficult! For doctors on the VTS, Frimley
Park Hospital provides free accommodation when on-call. With most posts now
working on a partial shift system, this does not usually amount to free local
accommodation. The hospital does rent accommodation, typical cost is £250 per
bedroom per month. These are usually in 3 bedroom houses that the hospital own
on the adjacent housing estate. Commuting from West London and the fringes is a
popular option - generally you are travelling in the opposite direction to the
traffic and journey times are typically 30-45 minutes.
Local
Attractions
If you do not know the Surrey-Hampshire border area, you do not know what you
have missed! The main attractions are the easy access to London, numerous
shopping centres and outstanding heathland & woodland (most army owned and
"free-to-roam"). Some more details, visit Surrey
Heath Borough Council website.
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