New doctor training programme helping boost skills and confidence

It may have been raining – but the excitement of these doctors at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust was not going to be dampened as they became the first group to start a new training programme.

To improve the training of physicians, a new national programme for internal medicine has been set up.

This replaced the existing two-year core medical training and will also soon replace the higher-speciality programmes in medicine.

It starts after a doctor has completed two years of foundation training – the first three years involve six-month placements with the first two years working in a similar way to previous trainees.

Ben Prudon, respiratory consultant and programme lead, said: “The third year of this programme has been improved – in this year trainees will gain significant experience within acute medicine, with the aim of developing their skills to become confident and capable medical registrars.

“They will spend two days a week within acute medicine, two days in a medical speciality and one day has been set-aside to develop their general skills with short placements varying from palliative care to the patient safety team.

“After this year, most trainees will apply for a place on a medical speciality training programme which will run for four further years leading to the completion of training when they will become consultants.

“We are extremely excited to have welcomed the first ever group of year three trainees. They are already making their mark within the medical directorate and settling in well.

“To help our internal medicine trainees settle in, each trainee has been provided with bespoke welcome packs, with a recognition that trainee wellbeing during these challenging times is as important as ever.”