A Description of the Training Programme
Palliative Medicine is a well established specialty in the West Midlands, with approximately 20 trainees.
We benefit from working with experienced and enthusiastic consultants and nurses, with chance to see a culturally diverse mix of patients in many settings.
We are a supportive group of registrars and meet once a month for a training day covering diverse topics within the field. The West Midlands houses a diverse population, and experience can be gained in many areas through the four year rotation.
Routes into Training Programme Placements
Training can currently be entered from several routes, the most common being Medicine, General Practice and Anaesthetics. Palliative Medicine will soon become a Group 1 specialty within shape of training and entry will then come from Acute Medicine.
The training programme consists of four years following from core training. It broadly follows the format below although variation is sometimes required. Placements are decided in conjunction with the Programme Director to fulfil each trainee’s learning needs.
The Training Programme Curriculum
The first year gives a good grounding and helps trainees develop the core skills in palliative medicine. The ST4 and 5 years often consist of two six month placements which give a variety of learning environments to cover community and hospital settings.
By the time a trainee reaches their ST6 year, they will have gained skills and experience which enables them to deliver palliative care in a variety of clinical settings.
The ST6 year therefore focuses on ensuring the trainee develops the senior management and leadership skills which are essential for the consultant role.
Throughout training, an educational supervisor gives feedback and ensures that the trainee fulfils their educational needs.