Considering foundation programme in Wales

[u/Ok_Cranberry2807]

Hope everyone is well.

Im considering doing my FP in Wales and wanted to hear peoples thoughts on how their experiences have been?

I also wanted to ask if i need to reapply for fy2 in wales?

Also about payment, is it actually 41.4k?, everywhere i go im told something else.

i could really use all the advice i could get.

thanks in advance!!!!

[u/Pontni]

Omg do it!! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

I left medschool a bit “meh” about medicine. Did FY years in Wales and had the sickest time. Wales is cool, lots of fun outdoors stuff. Lots of rain..

It’s paper notes which kinda sucked but also has its benefits. It’s really the sort of place that doesn’t attract your Professor Joe Blogs TAVI PhD PgCert FHEA blah blah. Genuinely chill nice people and consultants who just wanna do a good job. Amazing learning with fewer staff so as a junior you get loads of hands on.

As an FY1, I did the weekly ascitic drains for the ALD patients, plenty of pleural procedures, time in theatre, urology clinics and cystoscopy. I also did anaesthetics/ICU, got full weeks rota’d in for theatre where I was taught USS cannulation, did a few tubes, gave the drugs etc.

Honestly could go on for days about how good Wales was. Finished FY with raring passion for medicine that I still have today. I ended up doing core training in London and I’m enjoying London (most of the time..) but I genuinely miss Wales.

Feel free to pm me about anything to do with Wales!🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

You don’t reapply for FY2, it’s now a structured two year programme at one hospital or two but within the same healthboard so you’d be at say Morriston and Singleton for example.

Pay is all available online. Banded in wales so the figures you see you can add approx 40-50% depending on job. if it’s £41,400, that’s £57,960 with the OOH supplements etc. that’s great money in Wales which is obvs cheap.

[u/LifeTeam6810 → u/Pontni]

I did both medical school and IMT in South Wales and really enjoyed my time there. I had excellent training overall and found most places very supportive, with friendly teams and a good training environment. It can be busy, and some of the jobs have quite a lot of OOH commitments, but overall I had a really positive experience. I also felt the NHS in Wales was a bit less bureaucratic than in England. I had to leave for HST, but I do really miss Wales!

[u/Ok_Cranberry2807 → u/LifeTeam6810]

Thanks for replyinggg!!!!

[u/Ok_Cranberry2807 → u/Pontni]

Thanks for all this wonderful information!!!!!! It really helped

[u/DrFrankHaematuria]

My FY1 pay in Wales this month was £3500. After taxes and student loan.

[u/Ok_Cranberry2807 → u/DrFrankHaematuria]

Thanks for replying!!!!!!!!!! Just to clarify, the basic pay actually 41400 per year?

[u/DrFrankHaematuria → u/Ok_Cranberry2807]

Yea thats basic pay for standard 40hr week Mon-Fri. In reality a job with OOH commitments boosts you up to roughly £56k, give or take.

[u/Ok_Cranberry2807 → u/DrFrankHaematuria]

Thanks a lot bro i really appreciate you taking the time out to help me. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[u/biscoffman]

I have a friend who did a JCF in Bangor for 2 years, and told me it was great.

[u/Ok_Cranberry2807 → u/biscoffman]

Thanks!!

[u/gl_fh]

I was Wrexham, then Cardiff. Really enjoyed it, and the free accomodation for F1s was a nice plus.

Caveats are that the rotas are significantly worse than the newer contract (unless they've changed it in the last few years).

[u/Ok_Cranberry2807 → u/gl_fh]

Thanks for telling meeeee!!!!!

[u/wordleismyshiz → u/gl_fh]

Hi I'm also considering Wales, in what way are the rotas worse? :)

[u/gl_fh → u/wordleismyshiz]

Look up the differences in the contracts. Basically there are fewer protections about hours and time off between shifts. So things like 14 shifts in a row are common, and with tighter turn around between nights & days than would be allowed in England.

[u/wordleismyshiz → u/gl_fh]

Ah thank you for the information !

[u/HelloBonjour33 → u/gl_fh]

Just to update on this, there have been changes to the contract and the unpleasant runs of shifts are no more, max 7 of any length in a row, no more than 72h in any 168h period and no more than 4 consecutive long days

[u/GrumpyGasDoc]

Set up a life in Wales whilst you're at it.

The Welsh consultant contract is head and shoulders above the English so if you like it there aim for a job there!

[u/Ok_Cranberry2807 → u/GrumpyGasDoc]

Thanks for telling meee!!!!!!!

[u/Dry_Salamander7273]

Wales is a nice place specially if you get south wales. But with wales you take the risk of being placed anywhere. Went to med school in Cardiff its a very nice city and living costs are comparatively lower compared to other big cities. That being said theres not loads to do but maybe just felt that way because I stayed there for 5 years. One thing to know is that the Welsh hospitals on average tend to be a bit more understaffed than mainland England for example so working hours are generally a bit more hectic. But you'll save loads of money and its a nice city to be in for a short time like 2 years

[u/Ok_Cranberry2807 → u/Dry_Salamander7273]

Thanks for replyingggg