There are excellent schemes in this area located in:

• West Birmingham ( previously City)
• North Birmingham
• South Birmingham
• East Birmingham & Solihull

"We will help you to negotiate the hurdles on your journey to becoming a proficient general practitioner beyond just passing the MRCGP. We hope the education is relevant, interesting and fun. Hopefully you will develop the skills for life-long learning and continuing professional development. We aim to base much of our teaching on your reflective experience, both in hospital and in general practice. We use group work in Cluster Based Learning to achieve this"

If you require any information on the schemes please contact:

gpprogrammes.wm@hee.nhs.uk 

ST1 – Brief information about the ST1 year

Two four month posts in Secondary care (FTE = Full time equivalent). Secondary care post in City/Sandwell Hospital (prospectively MMH) or with the Community Mental Health Trust or Public Health and one four month post in GP.

ST2 – Brief information about the ST2 year

One four month post in Hospital post and One Eight month post in a GP practice (FTE) with a possiblity in an innovative attachment
GP post allocated in City VTS area with an allocated GP clinical supervisor

ST3 – Brief information about the ST3 year

Attached to the training practice with your Educational Supervisor for twelve months. FTE

Experience training in West Birmingham

The area encompasses the western aspect and centre of the City of Birmingham. The in-construction Midland Metropolitan Hospital (MMH) coming soon.

Attached to training practice with your Educational Supervisor for the year (FTE).

The teaching programme

Three Semesters of eight weeks split into Large Group and Cluster sessions. Meetings are mostly held at the hospital education centre. Topics chosen from RCGP Curriculum to enable full curriculum coverage over the three year cycle. CSA practice course included. RCGP Examiner, Innovative Entrepreneurial TPD and Multi-Award winning TPDs deliver interactive, practical multimedia content, regularly utilising professional role players.

Local support for MRCGP assessments

Dr Nye is our local RCGP Examiner and runs CSA/Communication Skills sessions on a regular basis each semester

Academic and other opportunities in West Birmingham VTS

Successful history of academic trainees progressing through their time at West Birmingham. Many practices have close affiliations with Birmingham and Aston Universities. ST academic training posts are available.

Career prospects as a GP in West Birmingham VTS

Many career opportunities in the West Birmingham VTS area and beyond- whatever career appeals.

Experience Training in North Birmingham

Encompassing area north of central Birmingham and includes Sutton Coldfield, Erdington, Castle Vale and Kingstanding Localities.
Sutton Coldfield was recently voted as eighth best place to bring up a family in the UK. Sutton Park National Nature Reserve is a large urban park; it was presented to the presented to the people of Sutton Coldfield by Henry VIII. It is the seventh largest urban park in Europe and the second largest outside a capital city.

The teaching programme

We have 32 GP trainers who are enthusiastic and offer great opportunities to learn about General Practice. The half-day release usually occurs at the on Thursday afternoons at 2pm. We offer teaching for 30 weeks (three terms of 10 weeks) of the year as approved by west midlands. We also have away days and offer an “in-house” CSA course once per year which has been highly rated and is Free.
The trainees are divided into smaller clusters which are reassigned to individual Training Program Directors. This allows us to meet regularly in cluster and allows us to facilitate small group work better. Clusters meet in different locations.
For roughly half the sessions we meet in a big group. Previously this has been at Good hope Hospital but in more recent times we meet at Church Hall: The Trinity Centre in Sutton Coldfield http://www.trinity-centre.org.uk/find-us/.

Local support for MRCGP assessments

We run a FREE VTS CSA course every year and we have the benefit of having MRCGP examiners who are TPDs and trainers locally. The key difference between our course and others is that you do get very specific and individual feedback form each case that you perform. You will also have the opportunity to observe other consultations within a small group.

Academic and other opportunities in North Birmingham VTS

There are lots of training practices and several that offer medical student teaching in the area. Birmingham University is also in close proximity by rail. ST academic training posts are available.

Career prospects as a GP in North Birmingham VTS

There are excellent opportunities in North Birmingham, there are large group practices and there are always lots opportunities for Partnerships, Salaried posts and even flexible Portfolio working.
 

Experience Training in South Birmingham

Encompassing areas south of the city include; Edgbaston, Selly Oak, Northfield, Quinton, Moseley, Kings Heath, Kings Norton, Hall Green and Maypole.

Attached to training practice with your Educational Supervisor for the year (FTE).

The teaching programme

The South Birmingham Scheme evolved over many years. It introduces the speciality trainee to the concepts of general practice, while providing support and an educational base for ST1/2 and 3’s together. We are a "learner-led"; organised into groups, each facilitated by one of the course organisers.
Large group sessions are held at the Monyhull Centre, Kings Norton. Thursday afternoons. Other VTS events include a two day residential in September, an 'away day' in the spring and some local CSA practice courses. In addition we run small “cluster” sessions run by trainees, these are appreciated learning opportunities. All participants are encouraged to attend courses (family planning, minor surgery, child health surveillance etc.) during the scheme, but the predominant aim is to promote holistic thinking practitioners who successfully obtain their CCT.

Local support for MRCGP assessments

We run two CSA courses every year facilitated by experienced TPDs and CSA examiners. We provide CSA feedback at an ST2 and ST3 level.
Academic and other opportunities in South Birmingham VTS
Many of our practice have close affiliations to Birmingham University. ST academic training posts are available.

Career prospects as a GP in South Birmingham VTS

Many doctors wish to stay in South Birmingham post CCT and we often see doctors a few years post CCT evolve and become a new cohort of GP trainers!