Welcome to our GPVTS website. If you are a GP
Registrar on the scheme already, this is the place to come for the
latest information about the course, social events and other activities.
If you are thinking of joining us, have a look around and then apply
- you know it makes sense!
Any Comments?
If you have any comments to make about this site,
please send us an email by clicking
here. If you wish to contact one of the course organizers directly,
please go to the Contact
Us section for details.
Did
you know that Canterbury is England’s most popular tourist destination
after London?
Canterbury is a friendly and vibrant city in the centre of East Kent
- whatever your interests, hobbies or ambitions you can pursue them
here... The city oozes history, boasting a magnificent cathedral and
numerous ancient buildings. It has a University and a large student
population, and is surrounded by beautiful countryside abounding in
great country pubs.
The coast is a 10-minute drive away and you can easily catch the Eurostar
or Shuttle to the continent. Access to London is easy by road or rail,
about 90 minutes. With so many opportunities, the social life on the
rotation is lively and we have many excursions to London and Europe.
Many registrars choose to settle in the area when they qualify - housing
is relatively inexpensive for the Southeast and there are some excellent
local grammar schools.
The East Kent Scheme takes in the Thanet, Canterbury and Ashford schemes that until recently were sepeate entities. For reasons of distance, elements of the education are still performed at seperate sites but the term time educational element is becoming increasingly integrated. At the outset of the scheme, each Registrar is accepted by a Trainer - a local General Practitioner with special responsibility towards him or her. This responsibility will continue throughout the whole of the three-year scheme even though the Registrar will be working in the hospitals for two of the years.
2 years of Hospital SHO Posts
The rotation begins with two years of hospital placements. During these two years you will rotate through 6 four-month SHO posts in the East Kent hospitals. While in this part of the scheme, you will maintain contact with your GPR colleagues and Course Organizers through regular VTS teaching sessions on Wednesday afternoons. There is protected time for this in all the hospital posts. Contact with your GP Trainers will be maintained through a one week practice attachment in each post. Registrars are encouraged to study for the diploma examinations during their time in hospital - namely the DGM,
DCH, DFFP
and DRCOG. Study leave
and funding are available for courses, and there are regular
teaching sessions for SHOs in all the specialities. The order
in which jobs are undertaken will vary between registrars, and
the SHO posts available are:
The available rotations can be found by following this link
You return to your training practice
for the final year of the VTS. This is a busy time, where
you will be preparing for summative assessment and hopefully
for MRCGP. Many registrars undertake other courses during this
period, such as Family Planning, Minor Surgical Skills, and
Child Health Surveillance.
The following are some top tips for using this year effectively:
The more you put in the more you get out.
Good planning ensures a successful outcome.
Visit the following websites regularly and download the summative
assessment pack:
You MUST be on the supplementary list to work in General
Practice, allow a month for your application to be processed.
Communicate with your trainer/Course Organisers about this.
Read the timetable guide for Summative Assessment.
‘Tempus fugit’ so manage your time well. Tasks take
longer than you expect.
Start videoing at the beginning of your year in General Practice.
Start your audit in the first or second month. Remember that
you have to implement your recommendations for change and re-audit.
You should keep some sort of log/reflective diary to provide
the evidence for your Personal Development Plan (PDP). Your
Trainer should help you with your PDP from the outset but whilst
in hospital posts you will have a clinical supervisor who will
appraise and assess your work in the craft specialty. This documentation
is essential when it comes to having your annual appraisal.
Regular attendance at the VTS is mandatory and stands you in
good stead for the hoops of Summative Assessment and the MRCGP.
Holidays and study leave need to be booked early BUT you must
attend your training practice every 6 months as directed by
the Course Organisers.
If you are having any difficulties talk to us. Share problems
or concerns early. Adult learning should be fun - your feedback
is essential.
At the end of the scheme, there are many opportunities for the newly
qualified GP in Canterbury and East Kent. Locums are currently in
great demand - and this can be an ideal way to experience the working
environment in many different practices before you decide which is
right for you. There are also opportunities to continue your training
with a 6-month Senior Registrar post - this should be discussed with
your Course Organizers and Trainer.
The CCHCS library and IT facilities with free internet access.
A wide variety of clinical journals and textbooks are available,
along with quiet areas to study.
The excellent restaurant at the postgrad centre - friendly staff
and food a cut above the usual hospital canteen fare.
The Canterbury Centre for Health & Clinical Sciences (often
referred to simply as 'the postgrad centre') is the main educational
venue for the Canterbury VTS scheme, and is located at the Kent
& Canterbury Hospital. Extended and refurbished in 2001, it
now boasts an extensive library, computer and internet facilities,
the large Harvey Hall lecture theatre, seminar and conference rooms,
surgical skills lab, and an excellent restaurant with helpful and
friendly staff.
GPVTS lunchtime meetings take place here on Wednesdays at 12:30pm
throughout the year, and are followed by the half-day release course
during the three academic terms - for which Canterbury Registrars
join up with those from the Thanet Scheme. Protected time is arranged
for this teaching in the training practice and SHO post timetables.
There is also one whole-day teaching session arranged per term,
which usually takes the form of an Away-Day. This combines a visit
to a venue of interest with a variety of group-work and exercises
relevant to general practice.
During hospital placements, there is also teaching arranged by the
speciality departments for their own SHOs. This is very useful for
those wishing to sit for the diploma examinations, such as DGM,
DCH and DRCOG.
Additional study time is available to the Registrars in their General
Practice attachments for the following activities:
Weekly tutorials with the Trainer
Personal Study
Study leave for courses and exams - 30 days p.a.
Audit and research projects
Attending various special clinics and activities
Visits to other practices etc.
Summative Assessment is the required qualification to practice as a GP in the UK, and all Registrars must complete this by the end of the scheme. This will be replaced by the nMRCGP for those starting the scheme in August 2007. Registrars are encouraged to study for the MRCGP and additional qualifications, such as the DRCOG, DCH, DGM and Diploma of Family Planning. It is common practice for Registrars to support each other in the run up to exams by forming study groups. Additional teaching may be arranged with some of the trainers and there is an additional budget available from the Deanery for such purposes.
The address of the CCHCS is as follows: Canterbury Centre for Health &
Clinical Sciences,
Kent & Canterbury Hospital,
Canterbury, Kent, CT1 3NG.
Tel: 01227 766877 ext 74361
