Year 4 Training Programme
Employment and Leave
The STRs are all employed by University Hospitals of Bristol Trust. Their salary, travel, and on call costs are re-charged from UHBT to the trust at which the STR is working. The re-location budget is held by UHBT. The STRs rotate to a new hospital attachment every 6 months throughout their 5 years of training.
All leave has to be approved by the Tutors at the hospital at which the STR is working.
Study leave requests must be approved at the the trust at which the STR is working, and then forwarded to at the Severn Deanery for approval by the Head of School. The claim for expenses is processed by the Deanery, who hold the study leave budget for all the STRs, after the leave has been taken.
Teaching
There is no formal teaching programme arranged for the Year 4 STRs. Those taking the FRCR II B will wish to arrange as many viva practice sessions as they can with consultant radiologists; there are many radiologists who are willing to do this, at all of the hospitals in the Severn School of Radiology. The STRs who have completed FRCR II B previously have a list of the consultants who have done this. It is the responsibility of those taking FRCR II B to arrange the sessions.
Exams
It is expected that all STRs will pass FRCR II B during their 4th year. This should enable them to concentrate on their developing sub-speciality skills, and to develop their portfolio of Audit/Research/Teaching/Management experience ready for their forthcoming consultant or fellowship post interviews.
Rotations
The STRs spend 6 months at either UHBT or North Bristol Trust (Southmead and Frenchay hospitals), or RUH Bath, and then swop over for the second 6 months. These attachments are for General Radiology, to enable the STRs to pass FRCR II B. Once FRCR II B has been passed, STRs can start to concentrate on developing sub-speciality skills.
The two 6 month ‘general’ attachments in Year 4 should enable all STRs to complete their general radiology training – with enough competencies so that they can safely join a general on call rota at a District General Hospital, and also fulfil general radiology sessions as a consultant, as well as any sub-speciality interests they may have.
Once FRCR II B has been passed, it should be possible to start/continue to develop sub-speciality expertise, in agreement with the Tutors at the hospital attachment.
Targets for the Year
There are strict targets which must be achieved if an STR is to pass seamlessly through their ARCP (Annual Review of Competence Progression) into the next year. Each year's targets are detailed in their web pages.
Work Based Assessments
The Royal College of Radiologists is presently trialling a full programme of Work Based Assessments. These will have to be approved by PMETB before they are put into general practice. They are likely to be in place for August 2010.
On Call
All 4th year STRs should be part of an on call rota. Those at UHBT and Bath join the UHBT rota. Those at NBT, Swindon and Cheltenham join their hospital's rota.