Your Educational Program

Lossiemouth

So why are we first for training in the UK?  Well, as a GP Trainee in the North Deanery, you will be supported by our educational programme and will have access to a wide variety of experiences which will help you develop as a fully rounded GP. 

Focus on Oban

Our Caledonian 4 year program contains 3 rotations that spend the first year in Oban before moving up to Inverness for the remaining hospital posts.  Your GP attachment will be spent in one of the practices attached to the Caledonian program.

Lorn and The Islands Hospital is one of the rural general hospitals used in our rotations that offers a great training environment working directly with consultants.  During your on call duties you are supported by nurse practitioners who are familiar with the local systems and environment along with direct access to your supervising consultant.

Watch the short video below to get an idea of what its like and have a look at Mike McIvers blog, Mike is currently working in Oban as the first year in his 4 year program.

As well as providing a great training environment Oban is a great place to live.  It is otherwise known as  "The Gateway to The Isles" due to the ferry links it provides to both the Inner and Outer Hebrides. You have the opportunity to explore  Islands such as Mull which is only 45 minutes away and Colonsay, Coll and Tiree which are only 3 hours by CalMac ferry.  There are also the more local islands of Lismore, Kerrera and Luing that are just short hops from the mainland. If your interest is in water sports such as kayaking or sailing then Oban is the place for you, with a myriad of sea lochs and islands to explore. 


For lovers of the hills, there is a wealth of climbing and hill walking in the area with Glencoe  just under an hour away along with the Glencoe ski area. More locally there is Ben Cruachan and easy access to the rest of the Central Highlands.

For the less adventurous, Oban has a host of sea food restaurants including the Oban Fish and Chip Shop provider of the "Best Fish and Chips in Britain" as voted by none other than Rick Stein.  

Also not to be missed is the Oban Chocolate Company on the Corran Esplanade, their cafe does the best coffee in town, not to mention the 20 different varieties of hot chocolate and some wonderful cakes! 

So why not come and taste life on the West Coast of Scotland with our Caledonian 4 year rotation.  Don't just take our word for it, read Mike McIvers blog. 

Posts Available In Round 2

Lossiemouth

We have now finalised the numbers of posts that we will be recruiting to in Round 2.  They are as follows:-

• Grampian 4 year programme; , 7 posts
• Caledonian 3 year programme; 1 post 
• Caledonian 4 year programme; 7 posts
• Rural-track - Fort William; 1 post
• Rural-track - Caithness; 2 posts
• Rural-track - Orkney; 2 posts

There are still 5 posts available in our Rural Track Program, if you are interested in these then go to our trainee blogs and read about Kate Dixon and Catherine Brown's experiences of their first year in the scheme.  They are in Stornoway and Shetland respectively.

As soon as we have specific details of the rotations available we will post them on the blog but in the meantime you can go to our "Rotations" pages to get an idea of the posts we offer.

For The Adventurous!

Sgor Gaoith

For the adventurous among you, Scotland, especially the North of Scotland has cornered the market in decent mountains, with 282 Munros (Mountains over 3000ft) and 222 Corbetts (Mountains over 2500ft) there is no end of terrain to explore.  From Inverness you have easy access to the Northern Highlands and the Eastern Glens of Cannich, Affric and Strathfarrar.  The Cairngorms are just down the A9. 

North Gully Lurchers Crag

From Fort William and Oban again you have excellent access to the hills.  For the climbers out there, why not work in Fort William with Ben Nevis on your back doorstep and Glencoe just down the road.  Oban also gives quick access to Glencoe and the rest of the Central Highlands.







So for those of you south of the border, why not move north and stop commuting up the M74? For those in the central belt of Scotland, why not move up to the center of the action?

Loch Quoich Looking Towards Knoidart

North of Scotland Hospitals and Training Practices

For those of you less familair with the geography of the North of Scotland we have created a map of all the hospitals used in our training programs along with all the training paractices linked to each of the programs, pink for Rural Track, yellow for Caledonian and blue for Grampian. Where possible we have also put links to the practice websites.

View North Deanery Training Practices and Hospitals in a larger map

The Great Outdoors:- Orienteering

One of the great advantages that comes with living in the North of Scotland is the access to the vast tracts of countryside that are on your doorstep. Both the Caledonian and Grampian areas are renowned for their countryside and forests.  Orienteering is a sport that has massively increased in popularity over  recent years. Among the orienteering fraternity the forests of Moray are well known for their quality. So much so that this year they play host to the Scottish 6-Days event and in 2 years time it is the World Orienteering Championships 2015. This will be only the third time that the world championships have been held in the UK.  To get a feel for some of the areas around Inverness and Moray, have a look at the trailer video for the 2013 Scottish 6 Day below.

Career Start Scheme

In Grampian we offer a unique opportunity called the Career Start Scheme.  It is a scheme that is run annually and offers our trainees the opportunity to apply for 1 year posts at the end of their GP Specialty Training.  

The posts are combined General Practice and Secondary Care and allow you to develop a special interest which you can then pursue alongside your career as a GP.  A number of the GPs featured on the blog are graduates of the scheme.

This programme has been running in Grampian for the past 8 years and it has proved to be very popular with the GP trainees using it as a stepping stone between training and a more substantive post.

We will be advertising 7 posts to start in August 2013 with the following specialties.  

• Unscheduled care -3 posts 
• Palliative care 
• Mental Health 
• Sexual health 
• Dermatology 

This is the only scheme of its kind in Scotland!

Natures Microworlds: Scottish Highlands

Have a look at this fabulous program on the ecology of the Scottish Highlands.  There is some superb wildlife photography and it could all be on your doorstep if you come and train in the North of Scotland programs. The program is available on BBC iPlayer for the next 6 days. Follow the link below.

Natures Microworlds:- Scottish Highlands

Recruitment Round 2

Stonehaven

Recruitment Round 2 has now opened.  Dates are as follows:-

• Applications opened Monday 25th February, and will close on 22nd March 2013
• Stage 2 Computer Based Test - 23rd and 24th April 2013
• Stage 3 Selection Assessment Centre - 14th and 15th May 2013

Here in the North of Scotland all our 3 year programs are just about full however we will have spaces in both our Grampian and Caledonian 4 year Programs.  Numbers are not quite finalised at this stage as Round 1 applicants still have until Mid-day 7th March to accept offers that are currently held.  Programs will then be finalised by 14th March. 

At the present time it is looking as though we will be offering

• 6 or 7 posts in the Grampian 4 year program
• 7 or 8 posts in the Caledonian 4 year program
• 4 or 5 posts in the Rural Track program, 2 in Orkney, 2 in Caithness and 1 in Fort William.  (Subject to confirmation with the relevant Health Boards)

Our four year programs offer excellent experiences and opportunities. You have the advantage of being able to take 4 years to sit and pass the MRCGP and the programs also offer great experiences in our Rural General Hospitals in the first year.   Have a look at Mike McIver's blog about his first year in Oban.