How does the training pathway work from FY2 to anaesthetics?

Hello,

Finish FY2 in August.

Short commissioning course at RMAS, usually begins around the start of October and finishes in December.

Postgraduate medical officers course, usually January - May, however this may change over the next few years.

Spend the following 2 and a bit years as a GDMO (general duties medical officer). During this time you work in the UK in a military GP practice and abroad providing medical cover to deployments and exercises. Locations vary but you can express a preference.

In your final year of GDMO you apply to defence deanery for a training post in anaesthetics. They will have a set number of training posts available. If there are lots of doctors who want to do anaesthetics they may interview you, if you do not pass the interview you may not be able to apply for a military anaesthetic job. If you do well in the interview then you apply for a training post via the national application system alongside your NHS colleagues. You must benchmark to gain a military training post, if more military doctors benchmark than there are military training jobs available, then the top candidates will be given the training post.

You can apply for an anaesthetic job in the NHS alongside applying for a military post in case you do not gain a military training post and wish to leave the military (sometimes you are permitted to do an extra year of GDMO and apply again the following year).

You will then start anaesthetics training after your final year as a GDMO. The location is open to discussion with the deanery, although often they prefer military doctors to train in a JHG, sometimes they are able to train elsewhere.

The training pathway itself will be very similar to the one your NHS colleagues follow and you will undertake the same exams.

I hope that helps, let me know if you want any more detail on any of the points above.