How to apply

This year the application processes for the Foundation Programme and Academic Foundation Programme 2013 have been aligned. This means that all applicants will now complete the same online application form, and sit the Situational Judgement Test.

The situational judgement test (SJT) is the new way of assessing and ranking applicants for the foundation programme, it replaces the former white space questions. Please click here for further details. The Educational Performance Measure has also been introduced from August 2013, which is a measure of your clinical and non-clinical skills, knowledge and performance up to the point of application. More information on these new selection methods, including frequently asked questions and a SJT practice paper can be found on the SJT/EPM webpage.

In the Northern Deanery we have 380 foundation programme posts in additional to the 12 academic foundation posts. From 1st October applicants can register and enrol on the Foundation Programme Application System (FPAS) and view all available programmes.

Helpdesk support to applicants for queries and problems relating to the national online application system is by email only and can be accessed by selecting the "Further Assistance Link" on FPAS.

Applicants are allocated to our School based on their scores on FPAS and their preferences. F2 rotations will be determined either in advance of F1 during the pre-employment checks carried out by the employer or during the F1 year via internal negotiations.

On FPAS F1 programmes are matched to applicants via an auto-match facility which works through the list of applicants in order of score (high to low) matching them to the highest ranked programme in their preferences that still has a place remaining. Applicants on the same score are selected randomly.

The timeline for matching applicants to programmes is as follows:

Monday 25th February 2013 - Applicants informed of allocation to a Foundation School
Thursday 28th March 2013 - Deadline for applicants to select their programme preferences on FPAS
Wednesday 3rd April 2013 - Applicants informed of which programme and Trust they have been allocated to.
30th April - 24th July 2013 - Any applicants who are on the reserve list will be allocated to any vacancies since the last allocation.

Please note that the deadline for submitting your programmes preferences is Thursday 28th March 2013. No late applications will be accepted. If you do not submit your preferences by the deadline, you will be randomly allocated to any posts that remain once the matching process has been completed.

If you do not rank all the programmes and are not matched to one of the preferences you have stated, you will be randomly matched to any programmes available once the process has been completed for all other applicants.

NDFS does honour linked applications but the link will be broken once candidates are allocated to the School, it does not link to specific Trusts.

It is not possible to "swap" places between foundation schools. There is a national inter-foundation school transfer process on the UKFPO website which can be accessed here. Please be advised that it is not possible to change foundation schools if your circumstances haven't changed since you applied for FP 2013. It is possible that if you turn down any offer of employment it is unlikely that you will be able to obtain a place on a training programme approved for provisionally registered doctors outside the national system.

Many queries about the application process can be answered by reading the FP/AFP 2013 Applicant's handbook which can be accessed here. For any non-tecnical queries (e.g. eligibility criteria or pre-employment checks) please contact the Foundation School on 0191 275 4686.

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