The specialist training programme in the West Midlands involves rotational appointments that include:
- Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham
- Heartlands Hospitals in Birmingham
- University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire in Coventry,
- New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton,
- University Hospitals of the North Midlands in Stoke Upon Trent,
- Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley
- Shrewsbury Hospital
- Worcestershire Royal Hospital
The West Midlands is a geographically vast area and training centres are spread out and we try and limit the trainees need for relocation by limiting the training to blocks of 3 or 4 hospitals whist ensuring that the trainee covers all aspects of the GIM and renal curriculum.
Regional Teaching
We have regional training days every 2 months on various renal topics. In addition to this the West Midlands renal Network also has audit events and various educational days throughout the year.
These are friendly and fun opportunities to meet co-workers across the whole region. Trainees are encouraged to attend UK Kidney week which is the largest national renal meeting where the West Midlands is usually well represented.
More recently the School of Medicine and Surgery in the WM has launched a virtual learning platform and this promises to be an exciting venture and will enhance teaching for the trainees in renal medicine.
Research
If you wish to undertake a period of research, the opportunities on offer in the West Midlands are exceptional.
There are excellent opportunities for clinical and laboratory based research, and if you are interested, we will support you to apply for a fellowship to undertake a period of research during your training.
Recent trainees have secured fellowships from Kidney Research UK, the Wellcome Trust and MRC to undertake research in the fields of vasculitis, transplantation, immunology, chronic kidney disease, paraproteinaemia and hypertension.
For further information on the renal training program in the West Midlands please get in touch with the Training programme director Dr Jyoti Baharani by e mail jyoti.baharani@hee.nhs.uk or on Twitter @renalpages