What we are doing
The Royal College of Physicians' (RCP's) Student and Foundation Doctor Network (SFDN) offers medical students and foundation doctors an invaluable opportunity to get actively involved with the RCP and to help shape our policy, services and activities.
The SFDN is made up of medical student and foundation doctor representatives located across the UK, plus a network chair, who act as RCP ambassadors in their regions. Its work is currently focused on three main themes:
- working lives
- career development
- local engagement and communications.
Tom Newman, previous SFDN chair, explains the network's purpose over the next year, with their mission statement: 'Working to inspire the next generation of clinicians by improving the training and wellbeing of student and foundation doctors, enabling them to deliver the best possible patient care.'
Contribute to our work
Contribute to our 'best piece of advice' project to share your experiences and learning with your peers.
Have any ideas that you think could improve the network, or want to get involved with our work? Get in touch with us at SFDnetwork@rcp.ac.uk.
View the SFDN’s wellbeing bulletin on sleep.
SFDN recruitment
We'd love engaged, committed and passionate student and foundation doctors to join us to work closely with the RCP and to be the voice of their peers across the country.
We have opportunities to join the SFDN committee in the following regions:
- Midlands
- North West
- Northern
- Northern Ireland
- South East
- Yorkshire
- Wales.
We particularly welcome medical students to apply. To self-nominate, please complete the questions on the online portal. If more than two nominations are submitted, successful candidates will be decided via election ballot. Applications will close on Monday 22 November 2021 and successful candidates will be in post by January 2022.
What we have produced
Advice from the Student and Foundation Doctor Network about making the most of an F3 year, if you decide to take one.
Advice from the Student and Foundation Doctor Network about making the most of an F3 year, if you decide to take one.
Advice from the Student and Foundation Doctor Network about making the most of an F3 year, if you decide to take one.
Dr Josie Cheetham, ACCS (anaesthetics) CT2 and past RCP Student and Foundation Doctor Network representative, discusses the positive and negative reasons for taking a year out of training.
Dr Chelcie Jewitt, clinical fellow at Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and past RCP Student and Foundation Doctor Network representative, reflects on how the disappointment of not being allocated her preferred deanery drove her to succeed in new ways.
Audits of clinical practice and quality improvement projects that focus on patient experiences are essential components of your role as a healthcare professional.
The 'How to gain teaching experience' guide is designed to give you the information and tools you need to create great teaching opportunities and get the most out of them.
This guide provides useful tips designed to help medical students make the most of outpatient clinics and ensure that this important part of the curriculum isn’t wasted.
Studying for professional exams while meeting the demands of a busy clinical job can be challenging. This guide provides useful tips to help you ace your exams without letting your day job suffer.
The 'How to make the most of the ePortfolio' guide is designed to help make the most out of the ePortfolio in order to showcase your best work and maximise learning.
Once you become a qualified doctor, prioritising tasks can be a challenge. The 'How to prioritise effectively' guide will give you some easy tips to help you make difficult decisions on who or what to prioritise.
The 'How to apply to the Foundation Programme' gives useful tips on the key points you will need to consider when applying for the Foundation Programme (FP).
Our 'How to make the best of being on the ward' guide is a collection of tips on making the most of your time on the ward.
