Study Leave, Teaching and Maxcourse Guidance and Information
Study Leave
- F2s have a total of 30 study leave days over 12 months. Please refer to the Foundation School Study Leave Policy
- 1 full study leave day on the regional teaching programme equates to 6 hours of teaching and a half day equates to 3 hours of teaching.
- Ensure you are familiar with the study leave policy and follow this when booking study leave for regional teaching and other courses
- All approved study leave must be recorded on the study leave record document (sent from school or available from your Post Grad team), so that a cumulative record of the number of days taken can be kept. You will be required to include this in your ARCP evidence documentation. Please upload the form as an 'Additional Achievement' and attach as a PDF
- Below is a summary of how some of the study leave is pre-allocated as set out in the school policy:
Summary table for use of F2 study leave time
|
Use of total study leave time |
|
5 days for core teaching: minimum 24 hours from regional teaching programme plus additional 6 hours foundation teaching (30 hours total) |
|
1 day simulation training (may be delivered in 2 half days) – 6 hours total |
|
5 days Tasters (which can be taken in F1 for Taster and/or 1 day career planning) |
|
GP learning sets: F2s in Cornwall, will attend 6 x 3 hour sessions in each 4 month block at Stennack Surgery TOTAL 18 hours F2s in Exeter, Torbay & North Devon will attend 6 x 3 hour sessions in each 4 month block at the RILD building Exeter TOTAL 18 hours F2s in Plymouth will attend 3 x 6 hour days in each 4 month block at Derriford TOTAL 18 hours Trainees required to attend these sessions will be contacted directly this means trainees not doing GP will have more days’ available study leave |
Record of teaching hours
- ALL teaching attended must be recorded on the mandatory teaching log found in your HORUS ePortfolio
- You should record all types of teaching that you wish to count to the total: regional teaching, local foundation teaching, departmental teaching, and eLearning modules
- For all teaching that cannot be verified easily by the postgraduate team, you are required to evidence your attendance by completing an additional achievement form in your portfolio; Course / seminar / other learning attended.
GP Learning Sets
- Study leave must be booked to attend the GP Learning Sets
- No Regional Teaching should be booked on GP Learning set days by trainees in GP unless it meets the criteria stated below.
- F2s should only miss GP Learning sets in exceptional circumstances. Sick leave and annual leave are acceptable reasons for non-attendance. ANY other reason should be discussed with their ES or FPD in advance and recorded on their eportfolio as to the reason why (using a general form). Examples of reasons that may be acceptable:
- specialty interview
- specialty exam
- another Regional Teaching day ONLY if agreed by their ES or FPD and a clearly documented discussion takes place in advance as to why the regional teaching day was of greater benefit to the trainee
- If a GP learning set is missed for a legitimate reason for an exam or interview, they can claim the allocated Study Leave back
The requirement for successful outcome at ARCP will be as follows:
- Minimum total accrued teaching of 60 hours (you can do more – see Appendix 2)
- Minimum of 30 hours CORE teaching from the foundation-specific programme (local trust foundation teaching, simulation and regional programme only)
- All other types of teaching is NON-CORE: GP Learning sets, department teaching, grand round, eLearning etc
- Minimum 4 days’ attendance from regional teaching programme (24 hours)
- Maximum 6 modules of eLearning (6 hours)
Maxcourse - creating your account.
Create your own personal log in for MAXCOURSE by following the link to the website:-
New user? Start here
You will need to use your NHS email address to create your user ID.
IMPORTANT POINT to note: you will encounter a Communications page. Due to GDPR compliance, you will not be opted in to receive any form of newsletters or general emails, you have to select the check boxes to opt in yourself. However, if you decide not to receive any communication then you are at risk of missing out on useful information SUCH AS COURSE CONFIRMATIONS/CANCELLATIONS.
Account Approval
Once you have completed your registration the foundation school team will need to approve your account before you are able to use it. To be able to approve your account you will need to enter the following as a minimum:
- Profession
- Date of birth
- Trust
- Dietary requirement
- A contact telephone number
Car Sharing
Car sharing is strongly encouraged and there is an option on Maxcourse for you to indicate you wish to participate.
Expenses
Regional teaching days are free. You can claim travel expenses if required in line with the Regional expenses policy.
Travel Time
You cannot claim back any travel time. When a study leave day is booked this covers travel time and the event.
APPENDIX 1
F2 Regional Teaching
Regional teaching sessions will be delivered in different formats according to the agreement made with each facilitator. Some sessions will be delivered via Microsoft Teams alone or a combination of local face to face sessions that will also be streamed on Microsoft Teams.
All sessions will continue to be advertised and booked through Maxcourse where it will be made clear in what format the session will be delivered.
Trainees should not attend any virtual teaching whilst on the ward. As study leave will be used the trainee must find somewhere quiet to participate in the training.
Half day sessions will equate to 3 hours of teaching and full day sessions will equate to 6 hours of teaching, unless specifically agreed otherwise e.g. ASCERT. Please refer to Maxcourse for agreed hours.
Trainees must not record any teaching session on Microsoft Teams for Clinical Governance reasons. Any trainee being found to be recording the sessions will be asked to stop.
For virtual/remote teaching to be successful facilitators will need trainees to be fully engaged throughout the session. You are encouraged to have your video and microphones on unless requested otherwise by the facilitator.
The Foundation School expects trainees to behave in accordance with their professional capabilities as set out in the Foundation Curriculum and GMC Good Medical Practice. An attendance register will be taken at the start and end of every session.
APPENDIX 2
The requirement to attend a MINIMUM of 60 hours teaching applies to F1s and F2s.
e-Learning
The school does not specify any e-learning that can count towards Core teaching. Also, whilst there is no national cap on the amount of e-Learning logged we would expect to see a variety of opportunities utilized for non-Core teaching.
F1s
CORE TEACHING (defined as teaching delivered specifically to foundation trainees and is available to ALL trainees in the trust) including simulation training.
Core teaching for F1s Min 30 hours required this will be the weekly F1 teaching provided by each trust
NON CORE Teaching
Non-Core teaching for F1s could include but is not limited to
- Departmental teaching
- Grand rounds
- E-Learning
The total or Core and Non-core teaching should total 60 hours or more by ARCP.
F2S
CORE TEACHING (defined as teaching delivered specifically to foundation trainees and is available to ALL trainees in the trust) including simulation training.
Core teaching for F2s Min 30 hours required
This must include a minimum of 24 hours from the Regional Teaching sessions
The remaining 6 hours can be added by additional regional teaching or from sessions provided by each trust in the form of local Foundation Specific training and the GP learning sets.
NON CORE Teaching
Non-Core teaching for F2s could include but is not limited to
- Departmental teaching
- Grand rounds
- E-Learning
The total or Core and Non-core teaching should total 60 hours or more by ARCP.
The following cannot contribute to the 60 hours for F1s or F2s:
- Statutory and mandatory training
- Induction sessions
- ILS/ALS/equivalent
- Bedside teaching
- Completion of SLEs
- Standard ward rounds
- Other regular on-the-job activities (including tasters)
- Conferences
- University/higher education
Courses
Further information on teaching can be found here