Geriatric Medicine

The table below contains the provisional numbers of 2010 ST3 posts which will be available within geriatric medicine in Round 2. Please note that these may change over time - this table will be updated as and when new information becomes available.

Also, interview dates are provisional and are subject to change.

* a number of ST3 Geriatric Medicine posts/rotations in 2010 over-arch between London & KSS, with London acting as the lead deanery in these cases. There may also be some posts/rotations which are KSS-only. Please contact the deaneries in question for more information.

Last updated: 27-08-10

The Specialty

Geriatric Medicine (sometimes referred to as ‘Care for the Elderly’) is one of the largest specialties in the UK. It offers a stimulating intellectual challenge: illness may present in unusual ways in older people, they frequently have multiple pathologies that interact, and they are particularly prone to adverse drug reactions. It allows you to maintain a generalist approach while also developing a sub-specialty interest; this can range from stroke to Parkinson’s Disease, falls and fracture prevention, diabetes or cardiovascular disease, to name but a few.

Geriatrics also offers the chance to work both in community and hospital settings. Research is at last generating an ever-expanding evidence base for the management of many conditions in old age and the National Service Framework for Older People has laid out some challenging targets for health care provision.

The most effective Geriatrician is an excellent general physician with good communication skills, who is able to work well in a team with other disciplines and can empathise with older people. Most people are attracted by the holistic way that the specialty takes on acute investigation and management together with subsequent rehabilitation and discharge planning, all tailored to each individual’s needs.

The Recruitment Process

Recruitment to ST3 posts within geriatric medicine posts in 2010 will take place via the RCP-hosted recruitment process described in this website. For more information, please see the relevant sections of the site.

KSS & London

For the specialty of geriatric medicine, the posts advertised within the deaneries of Kent Surrey & Sussex (KSS) and London will be recruited to under one UoA (Unit of Application), which will be referred to in the RCP-hosted process as ‘London/KSS’.  These posts are over-arching programmes between the two deaneries, and if appointed to this programme you may be required to rotate between both London and KSS Deanery to maximise your training opportunities.

London will act as the lead deanery in recruitment to these posts.

For more information on this arrangement and the posts within these deaneries, please contact the deaneries directly – email addresses are:

London Deanery: recruitmentenquiries@londondeanery.ac.uk

KSS Deanery: specialtyrecruitment@kssdeanery.ac.uk

Non-participating Deaneries/UoAs

Where English/Welsh deaneries/UoAs have ST3 geriatric medicine posts which are vacant (or will become vacant before April 2010) and wish to recruit to these posts via the second round of the national recruitment process, they have been listed in the table above. Deaneries/UoAs which are not listed do not have any vacant ST3 posts to offer to candidates before 2011 recruitment.

Round 1 Scores

Charts showing the distribution of short-listing scores and final scores for all eligible candidates applying to geriatric medicine in 2010 (Round 1) can be viewed via the PDF documents available for download from the top-right of this page.

The Geriatric Medicine Interview

The interview will be made up of three stations, each of which will include two main questions, and with two clinicians assessing candidates’ answers.

Station 1 - candidates’ documentation will be reviewed to verify their eligibility and commitment to specialty. The questions will be about current experience and skills; suitability for ST3 training.

Station 2 - candidates will be given a clinical scenario to discuss; their communication skills will also be assessed

Station 3 - candidates will be given an ethical scenario to discuss; knowledge of professionalism and governance will also be assessed

However, please note that candidates will not necessarily progress through stations in this order.

Each station will last for around 10 minutes. Where a scenario is used for a station, candidates will be given up to five minutes’ reading time prior to beginning that station. The overall length of the interview cycle will be around 45 minutes.

Person Specification

2010 ST3 Geriatric Medicine Person Specification: http://www.mmc.nhs.uk/PDF/PS 2010 ST3 Geriatric Medicine_1.pdf