POINTS will no longer be awarded for presentations submitted as part of foundation programme applications.
Points for educational achievements will only be given for qualifications and publications, the UKFPO has confirmed.
The change has been made following a review of the application process.
The UKFPO admitted the decision might be unpopular among some trainees but said it had taken into account feedback from applicants, as well as clinicians and experts who take part in the national verification day.
They said the change was designed to make the system fairer as the vast number of medical professional/education events around the world made it impossible to determine which ones were legitimate.
The UKFPO said: “We aim to be as consistent as possible but with over 9,500 individual items to be verified, it is almost impossible for the verification panels to ensure they make a fair and objective judgement every time, and anomalies do occur.
“Therefore, to ensure the method by which points are awarded for educational achievements is fair and there is consistency between verification panels, the UKFPO Recruitment Rules Group has made the decision that points for educational achievements will be given for qualifications and publications only, and presentations will no longer qualify for points on the FP application form.”
Applicants to the academic foundation programme (AFP) have been reassured that they can still include presentations in the “academic selection” section of the online form.
The UKFPO added: “These achievements can be useful for applications for posts throughout your medical career, especially if you are able to convert your presentation to a publication.”
The total number of points available for the educational achievements section will remain the same – up to five points for an additional degree and up to two points for publications.
More information will be published in the FP/AP 2015 Applicant’s Handbook published on the UKFPO website in June.
This page was correct at the time of publication. Any guidance is intended as general guidance for members only. If you are a member and need specific advice relating to your own circumstances, please contact one of our advisers.
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