ST7s as Clinical Supervisors – FAQs

Yes, if, you are  in or preparing to enter your final year of specialty training, with an outcome 1 at your last ARCP  and are on track to a successful outcome at your final ARCP. You must be  working in a KSS trust for the whole of a four month placement (December-March or April-July) in a department that also hosts FY2 doctors. Your TPD and ES must be supportive of you taking part in the programme.  

It may be possible to support you in a non-KSS Deanery hospital as the GMC has approved a plan to spread the programme across other English deanery areas. The programme is now awaiting final approval by the English PG Deans.  

Unfortunately both FY2 and ST7 doctors must be working in the same sub specialty department and so if you are not working directly with FY2 doctors in your department then  you will not be able to take part.  

No, they will continue to work with their educational supervisor, but you will take the place of their named clinical supervisor in this single 4-month placement and be the CS on their portfolio. 

Yes, your own supervision arrangements remain the same.

The FPD supports foundation doctors and supervisors and provides the link to the Deanery foundation school team. 

The programme provides experiential learning related to the teaching and learning areas of your curriculum. Previous participants have added a reflection to their own portfolio around the programme and have also talked about their development in the programme in consultant interviews.  

This could be achieved with a reflection or possible with a case-based discussion with your ES or the FPD.  

You will participate in a full educational supervision course. This must be completed before the start of the FY2 placement, or you will not be able to take part. This will be the same ES training that consultants and SAS colleagues receive so it will enable you to take on an ES role when you become a consultant. 

You will receive support from your own supervisor and the foundation programme director when needed. For practical issues the foundation programme administrator in your trust PGEC may be able to guide you, especially around the portfolio.

If you are a KSS or SW higher trainee your head of school has approved this programme. If you are a trainee elsewhere in England, you must ensure that you have the approval of your head of school before embarking upon the programme.  

Please liaise as soon as possible with the medical education manager at your trust. They will help you to arrange this. If your trust doesn’t have an ES course in the near future, please liaise with Vikki and she may be able to source you a course in another trust. You will need to use a day of your study leave to attend the course.  

This will be arranged by the foundation programme team in your trust. 

Your FY2 doctor will maintain their supervisory relationships with their ES, the college tutor in your department and their own foundation programme team including their foundation programme director at the trust.

Please contact the foundation programme administrator in the PGEC at your trust and ask them to arrange this. They will have been involved in arranging your pairing. 

 
https://supporthorus.hee.nhs.uk/about-horus/what-is-horus/ 

The education requirements in each specialty curricula vary and so it’s best to explore this within your own portfolio.

Yes, the pilot programme was originally approved by Mike Masding and Tony Choule from the UKFPO at the start when it was entering into an approval process with the GMC and they have followed developments in the pilot stages. The work has been presented at the national foundation school directors meeting and Deaneries outside of KSS and the South West have expressed an interest in starting their own programmes.

Approval was sought from the GMC education policy team as all doctors involved are within GMC training programmes and the roles of educational and clinical supervisor for postgraduate doctors in training are formally recognised by the GMC.

FY2 doctors who have participated in the previous cohorts have mentioned the benefits of supervision provided by a colleague that they are working closely with on a day-to-day basis, that has participated in the foundation programme relatively recently and have found it easier to discuss both problems and career options with a higher trainee.  

Higher trainees have valued the experiential learning around supervision, the full educational supervision course and the opportunity to explore their educational interests from a different perspective.