A Description of the Programme
Training in Gastroenterology is usually combined with general medicine and the length of training is five years.
Training in the West Midlands involves hospitals in and around Birmingham and the counties of Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Shropshire and Herefordshire.
During their training, the majority of posts are Gastroenterology and general medicine and involve general medicine on calls.
Trainees also have to complete 6 months in a dedicated liver job. The West Midlands is lucky as it is home to a large liver transplant centre and therefore most trainees gain experience in a tertiary centre for their liver experience.
Most trainees spend a year at the liver unit and this involves specialist liver on calls.
Availability of Posts in the Region
There are currently 46 training posts in the West Midlands
Most general Gastroenterology posts will involve a combination of endoscopy lists, outpatient clinics and ward rounds. Trainees are places in a hospital usually for a year where they may rotates between different consultant teams and therefore gain a variety of experiences.
The region is large but trainees are asked for their top 3 preference of where they would like to work and why and the majority of individuals are places in their first or second choice.
Trainees will be expected to gain competence in both G(I)M and Gastroenterology curricula during their training. Part of this involves clinical audit.