Moving forwards with National Recruitment

  • 10 Apr 2019
  • RCOphth

Since 2012, recruitment to the ophthalmology training programme has been undertaken on a national level and run by the Severn Deanery on behalf of the College. This year ST3 recruitment was paused to reassess the process. We undertook a consultation with the membership with 537 respondents. The results have been discussed with the Curriculum, Recruitment and Training Committees as well as College Council. This has allowed us to make recommendations which are being presented to the Medical and Dental Recruitment and Selection Board (MDRS). As soon as this is verified, the finalised details will be published, aiming for a combined interview process in February 2020.

There was overwhelming feedback that we should maintain the ability to recruit doctors with some prior experience to the specialty training programme. This should take place as part of the process undertaken for ST1 currently, ensuring a fair and transparent process where all candidates are compared to similar standards, with higher entry trainees presented with more complex clinical scenarios relevant to their additional experience. This would also fit with the increasing requirement for flexibility and the assessment of transferability of competencies in training.

To read more about the response to the consultation please click here.

Thank you to everyone who took the time and effort to respond to this consultation.

Fiona Spencer, Chair Training Committee

Sarah Maling, Recruitment Sub-committee Chair

Alex Tytko, Head of Education and Training