Career Start

I am coming to the end of my Career Start Year and it’s certainly been everything I had hoped for and more. You may have seen from my blog at the start of the year I was combining GP with Old Age Psychiatry. As it happens this has worked out perfectly!

From August I will be taking up a part-time partnership at the practice where I have spent the last 12 months. This has allowed me to have a very good idea of how things work but more importantly getting to know the people I will be working with. As this is only part time to start with I need to have another source of income and I have been able to get 3 sessions a week in Old Age Psychiatry, continuing the work I have been doing in my Career Start for the past year. Without the experience of the past 12 months I suspect it would have been impossible to get as it was only created by me asking for it. Fortunately they had some spare money and have given me a job.

Looking back on the year I am much more confident in my skills as a GP but have also developed so many new ones, which has allowed me to explore other areas of medicine I would never have thought about during my training. The secondary care team have also enjoyed and valued having a GP about and I have been able to create some invaluable working relationships.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the year and would certainly recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Andrew Rigby

Career Development Posts

This year we have a new option for anyone who has completed Foundation but does not yet feel ready to commit to specialty Training.  The Career Development posts are for 1 year and are a combination of  two 6 month hospital posts along with 6 x 1 week release to general practice.

In the North of Scotland we have 6 of these posts. The posts would form an excellent basis for a future application to general practice and the skills gained should stand you in good stead for the recruitment process for GPST next year.  The time spent in the posts will not however count towards your GP training and you would still be expected to complete the full training program if you were successful in applying to GPST for August 2016.

For more information on these posts follow the link below.

• Career Development Posts

Applications closed but late contacts with Dr Jerry O'Rourke considered

Congratulations!

Recruitment for GP Specialty Training commencing August 2015 is now complete with the deadline for accepting posts in Round 2 now passed.  So congratulations to the 41 successful applicants coming to the North of Scotland.  We have 24 who have successfully gained places on the Grampian programs and 12 on the Caledonian programs along with 5 on our Rural Track program.

So congratulations to you all on making such a smart decision and electing to spend a life in general practice!  We look forward to meeting up with you in August at your inductions.  Our admin team will be in touch with you with all the information that you need in the run up to August.

We have a training intranet called Moodle that houses all the information on your training program and you will need to register for this.  Instructions and the necessary passwords will be forwarded by email in the coming weeks.

Working On Orkney

I can't say why I chose to take a job working in Orkney for 6 months, I have to admit, I had no idea where Orkney even was (and had a big shock when I searched for it on Google maps after applying). I saw it advertised, thought it looked interesting and a bit different and without too much thought applied for it. I never regretted what I guess was a bit of an impulsive decision..

North Coast 500

Interested in our Rural Track Program but just need that extra little persuasion?  Then just have a look at the video above.  This highlights some of the spectacular scenery that is the North of Scotland and that makes it one of the best places to live and work in the UK.  How many GPs in the UK can drive through scenery like this whilst doing their home visits?

The CSA

For the most part being a GP trainee is absolutely fantastic and I cannot imagine doing any other career in medicine. However, for a long time during our training there was one thing that loomed rather ominously ahead of us. The Clinical Skills Assessment (or CSA) is the big final exam that we all have to get through before we qualify and is based around a simulated surgery with actors who play patients with frequently very tricky problems.

Dolphins:- One of Aberdeen's Biggest Attractions!

Aberdeen's annual Dolphinwatch project is under way.

Dolphins are one of Aberdeen's biggest tourist attractions, with the city regarded as being among the best places in Europe to spot them.

Volunteers from RSPB Scotland's Dolphinwatch expect thousands of visitors to try to catch a glimpse of the spectacular sea antics over the summer.

The Dolphinwatch project was pioneered in 2013.