A Clinical Attachment at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospital’s NHS Foundation Trust is an unpaid six-week placement to enable doctors to get experience in the UK.
The six week programme consists of a settling in and Induction week, followed by five weeks rotation through different specialties. These specialties will be varied, but we will try to take into account the interests of candidates as much as possible.
The six weeks period will include multiple different Education Opportunities, including, but not limited to:
- Corporate Induction
- IT Training
- Resus Training
- Grand Rounds
- Teaching sessions in various specialties
During the programme, candidates will be fully supported by an Educational Supervisor for the entire six weeks, a Clinical Supervisor for each specialty and a team of others that will be able to provide pastoral and educational support.
During the last week of an attachment programme, we will invite candidates to take part in an OSCE style assessment, after which, if deemed suitable, the candidate will be offered a two year fixed term contract at Ashford and St Peters. During this employment, we will aim to give you a rotational programme containing at least one of your preferred specialties, access to the Foundation Programme e-Portfolio system and an Educational/Clinical Supervisor, which will set the doctor up with the same skills and experiences as a doctor finishing the Foundation Programme. If after an offer of employment is made, the doctor decides not to work with us, they would be liable to pay fees associate with the attachment, including any accommodation costs incurred by the Trust. Provided offers of employment are accepted, there are no fees to pay.
Our programme has a good success rate for taking PLAB2 after the programme has ended, and provides excellent insight into the NHS and the work we do.
Candidates must have in order to undertake a Clinical Attachment with us:
- Expected capability to gain full GMC Registration soon after attachment. This includes:
- One year of internship
- Completion of PLAB1 exam
- Suitable IELTS or OET result
- Other route to join the GMC Register, including holding suitable postgraduate qualifications
- Allowance for Visa or other right to be in the UK.
All Clinical Attachment doctors will still need to undertake the same checks as any other member of staff working the Trust, including Occupational Health clearance and the Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) clearance.
The programme is run three times a year, February, May and October (although this may be subject to change depending on prevailing circumstances), and this will be advertised on NHS Jobs approximately two months before the attachment Start Date.
All applications must be made via NHS Jobs.
There is also a Facebook Group which you may like to join
For any queries regarding the Clinical Attachment programme, please contact:
The Honorary contract is subject to the following provisions:
- A Clinical Attachment, must not in any circumstances
- Initiate, alter or stop the treatment of a patient on your own diagnosis
- Prescribe
- Order diagnostic investigations, request radiological examinations or order blood to be crossed-matched
- Take part in obtaining or witnessing the signature by or on behalf of a patient on a form of consent to treatment
- A Clinical Attachment must not take the history from, examine or undertake a procedure on a patient unless his/her prior informed consent had been obtained and must be under the supervision of a supervising consultant.
- All attendance in hospital clinical areas must be supervised. Doctors on clinical attachment are not normally permitted to visit intensive therapy units or visit areas other than their base department without the express permission of the head of department or supervising consultant.
- The Clinical Attachment Doctor is required at all times to behave in accordance with departmental policies and protocols and the policies and procedures established by the Trust.
- The Clinical Attachment may be withdrawn at any time if they are found to be in breach of any Trust policies or procedures or the terms of this agreement. It may also be withdrawn for any other reason at the discretion of the Medical Director. The Doctor will normally be given a reason for withdrawal of the attachment.
- The honorary contract allows The Attachment Doctor to access Education, Library and other research facilities operated by the Trust and the provision of hospital records. Use of library facilities is subject to departmental guidelines.
