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A Foundation House Officer (FHO) is a grade of medical practitioner in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 undertaking the Foundation Programme - a two-year, general postgraduate medical training programme which forms the bridge between medical school and specialist/general practice training. Being a Foundation House Officer is compulsory for all newly qualified medical practitioners in the UK from 2005 onwards.






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A Foundation House Officer (FHO) is a grade of medical practitioner in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 undertaking the Foundation Programme - a two-year, general postgraduate medical training programme which forms the bridge between medical school and specialist/general practice training. Being a Foundation House Officer is compulsory for all newly qualified medical practitioners in the UK from 2005 onwards. The grade of Foundation House Officer has replaced the traditional grades of Pre-registration house officer
Pre-registration house officer

In the UK until 2005 pre-registration house officer was the name of the only jobs that were open to medical graduates, who had just passed their final examinations at Medical school and had received their Bachelors of Medicine and Surgery....
 and Senior house officer
Senior house officer

A senior house officer is a physician undergoing specialist training in the United Kingdom National Health Service. A doctor typically works as an SHO for 2-3 years, or occasionally longer, before becoming a Specialist registrar....
.

Foundation House Officers have the opportunity to gain experience in a series of posts in a variety of specialties and healthcare settings. Learning objectives for each stage are specific and focused on demonstration of clinical competences. Emphasis is on the assessment and management of acutely ill patients. Training also encompasses the generic professional skills applicable to all areas of medicine - team work, time management, communication and IT skills.

Foundation House Officer 1 (FHO1)


This year replaces what was known as Pre-registration house officer
Pre-registration house officer

In the UK until 2005 pre-registration house officer was the name of the only jobs that were open to medical graduates, who had just passed their final examinations at Medical school and had received their Bachelors of Medicine and Surgery....
. In the first year of Foundation Training, Foundation House Officers rotate through three or four jobs in different hospital specialties. The General Medical Council
General Medical Council

The General Medical Council is the regulator of the medicine profession in the United Kingdom. It registers medical doctor and has the power to revoke the registration, or place restrictions, in cases of questions about a doctor's fitness to practise....
 specify that every FHO1 must complete at least three months of General Medicine. Until 2007, it was also required for all FHO1s to complete at least three months of General Surgery, and therefore most programmes still include this. The rest of the year may be made up of further time spent in General Medicine or General Surgery, or time spent in other specialties (but not in General Practice).

The first year of the Foundation Programme builds upon the knowledge, skills and competences acquired in undergraduate training. The learning objectives for this year are set by the General Medical Council (see their website for more details: http://www.gmc-uk.org/ for full registration are based on the achievement of specific competences. During this first year, Foundation House Officers hold only provisional registration with the General Medical Council
General Medical Council

The General Medical Council is the regulator of the medicine profession in the United Kingdom. It registers medical doctor and has the power to revoke the registration, or place restrictions, in cases of questions about a doctor's fitness to practise....
, full registration being granted on successful completion of the first year.

Foundation House Officer 2 (FHO2)


FHO2s may do further posts in medicine or surgery, or may do posts in other specialties, such as general practice, emergency medicine
Emergency medicine

Emergency medicine is a speciality of medicine that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of acute illnesses and injuries that require immediate medical attention....
, paediatrics, psychiatry
Psychiatry

Psychiatry is a Medicine Specialty devoted to the Treatment of mental disorders, Biomedical research and Prevention of mental disorder. The term was first coined by the German physician Johann Christian Reil in 1808....
, obstetrics
Obstetrics

Obstetrics is the surgery speciality dealing with the care of a woman and her offspring during pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium . Midwifery is the non-medical equivalent....
 or pathology
Pathology

Pathology is the study and diagnosis of disease through examination of Organ , tissue , bodily fluids and whole bodies . The term also encompasses the related science study of disease processes, called General pathology....
. The training builds on what has been achieved during the previous year. Typically, posts for a Foundation House Officer 2 will be allocated during the previous year to afford doctors in training and their supervisors some flexibility and choice in response to early training experiences.

External links

  • - publication by the Department of Health
    Department of Health (United Kingdom)

    The Department of Health is a Departments of the United Kingdom government but with responsibility for government policy for England alone on health, social care and the National Health Service ....