• Advert number: 185446-0
• Posted Date: 11/12/08

Royal College of Psychiatrists

www.rcpsych.ac.uk

Ms Joanna Carroll, Professional Standards Development Manager

17 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PG. Tel: 020 7235 2351. Fax: 020 7245 1231. Email: rcpsych@rcpsych.ac.uk

Location of vacancies

All deaneries in England will follow the College coordinated national recruitment to CT1 psychiatry via an online application service. Details of specific numbers of posts available in each deanery are published on the MMC website http://www.mmc.nhs.uk/default.aspx?page=498. Numbers will also be published on deanery websites.

Profile

The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the professional and educational body for psychiatrists in the United Kingdom. We run a membership examination (MRCPsych), and work with the regulator (PMETB) and Heads of School of Psychiatry to ensure high standards of education and training for all doctors in psychiatric training. We monitor the progress of all trainees during their training and recommend them for their certificate of completion of training (CCT) once they have been signed off as having completed all the competencies in the curriculum.

The College is very keen to engage with everyone who may be considering a career in psychiatry and we are always pleased to offer help. We have established student associateship to enable those in medical school to benefit from association with the College. We also attend many careers fairs across the country where psychiatrists in training are able to talk to students about working in the profession.

MMC Recruitment timetables for 2009

Candidates will be able to register with the online application service from 15 December 2008. Applications will be available for completion between 5 and 16 January 2009. Long and short listing will be completed by 27 February. Interviews will be held throughout England between 9 and 27 March. Offers will commence from 6 April. Applicants will be able to accept, decline or hold offers until 28 April in coordination with CMT and GP offers. Research has shown that applicants who apply for psychiatry will normally also apply to CMT and GP. Coordinating offer dates will enable applicants to make an informed decision about their specialty choice, which will benefit psychiatry as a whole. Clearing is expected to open by 4 May.

ROUND 2

CT1 PSYCHIATRY NATIONAL RECRUITMENT

The Royal College of Psychiatrists is coordinating national recruitment to psychiatry in England for CT1 level in 2009.  The first recruitment round ends on 22 May, however early indications show that there may be a number of vacancies available in psychiatry at CT1 level.  The exact number of posts and their locations will not become clear until late May.  If you are interested in applying for a training post in psychiatry please visit deanery websites regularly for updates of available vacancies as they emerge. 

If you applied in round one but were not successful in securing a post in your preferred location or specialty you are eligible to apply.  Round two is also open to international medical graduates, subject to the labour market test requirements.  This means that if you require a Tier 2 visa you are eligible to apply and if you meet the entry criteria you will be eligible for interview.  If you are found appointable at interview you may receive a job offer if there is no suitable UK or EEA national candidate for the post.

Key dates:

23 April – 6 May 2009 – Online applications open for registration and form filling

You will be able to register with the online national recruitment system, preference all participating deaneries, complete and submit your application form. If successful you will be interviewed by one deanery only.

14 May 2009 – Interview offers go out

If you are successful at shortlisting you will be invited to interview by one of your selected deaneries.

21 to 29 May 2009 – Interviews

In the interest of fairness and consistency the interview format will remain unchanged.

1 – 5 June 2009 – Job Offers

Initial job offers will be made from 1 June.  You will have 48 hours to accept or reject the offer.

8 – 12 June - Clearing

Should you be deemed appointable at interview, but not offered a training post, you will have an opportunity to go through clearing.

Please visit the College website http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/training/ct1jobs/applicationsforpsychiatry/round2.aspx for more information or email us at ct1jobs@rcpsych.ac.uk A telephone helpline – 0844 338 7001 – will be available Monday to Friday, from 10am to 12noon and from 2pm to 4pm.
 

Recruitment Process (applicable to round 1 and 2)

For 2009 the College is leading recruitment into the first year of Core Specialty Training (CT1) in England. The service is delivered online using an application form based on the doctor’s CV. Applicants can specify their two preferred deaneries at the time of application.  In round 2 all participating deaneries with remaining vacancies will be available for preferencing. The application is shortlisted by deaneries according to national scoring criteria. Credit is given for achievements in medicine and the communication of research into, and enthusiasm for, a career in psychiatry. Interviews are a multi-station format standardised across all deaneries with a unified scoring framework. The interview assesses a candidate’s written communication skills, their personal portfolio, their understanding of ethical issues in psychiatry and their understanding of the service user perspective and experience. The candidate’s score determines their suitability for appointment against a standard threshold. Offers are made in rank order based on the candidate’s score. When the first round of offers and acceptances is complete, a clearing system is used to match appointable, but as yet unappointed candidates with remaining deanery vacancies.

The College uses an online application service for recruitment to CT1 psychiatry developed to College specifications. In round 1 the service opened for registration via the College homepage on 15 December 2008. In round 2 the service will reopen on 23 April 2009. Key dates, the person specification, the application form, the scoring framework and details of training in psychiatry are available on the College website.

Key personnel

Dr Nick Brown, College Lead for National Recruitment (RCPsych).

Ms Joanna Carroll, Professional Standards Development Manager (RCPsych).

More information

Details of the College activities aimed at young doctors can be found at
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/training/careersinpsychiatry.aspx