Medical Training

This page summarizes the current medical training structure for countries.

Spain

See An analysis of the medical specialty training system in Spain Campo J, Campos A, de Aguiar A, Carbajo P Human Resources for Health 2015, 13 :42 (2 June 2015)

UK

The medical pipeline for the UK is summarized in the diagram below:

Entry to UK medical school is as an undergraduate course typically completed in 5 years. Although this can be less for graduate entry students. As part of an effort to widen participation in medicine their are also mechanism to enter medical school at the foundation level. The UK has a total of 34 medical schools, see [1] for the full list.

After completing medical school, trainees enter F1 - the first year of the Foundation Programme. On completion of F1, Doctors gain full registration and enter the second year of the Foundation Programme F2.

On completion of the Foundation Programme, trainees enter specialty training. The UK has a total of 65 approval specialties and a further 35 approved sub-specialties, see the GMC for the full list and details of the training pathway for each specialty. However for the purposes of an overview these specialties are divided into uncoupled and run-through training. The uncoupled specialties have an initial period of 2 years for surgery and medicine and 3 years for psychiatry, referred to as CT1, CT and CT3 level training. At the end of core training, trainees compete to enter higher specialty training. For the run through specialties, referred to as ST trainees, have no secondary stage of competition in their training. On completion of training the doctor is awarded a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) which allows the doctor to be on the specialist register.