Public Health ST1

You must hold either:

• a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (BMBS, MBBS) degree or other equivalent medical qualification; or
• a first degree including undergraduate or integrated Masters degree (1st or 2:1 or equivalent grade) which must be certificated by the date of application submission. If your qualifying degree was not an honours degree it may be considered equivalent if you are currently registered to practice with a healthcare regulator overseen by the Professional Standards Authority; or
• a higher certificated degree (Masters or PhD).

You must:

• Be eligible to work in the UK.
• Meet the standards set out in Good Medical Practice and Good Public Health Practice and not be subject to fitness to practise conditions which would prevent you taking up the post or performing fully within it.

You must not

• Hold, nor be eligible to hold, a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) or Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR) for this specialty, nor
• Already be eligible for the specialist register for this specialty.

For applicants with a medical degree applying for a medical training post in public health

You must:

• Be eligible for full registration with, and hold a current licence to practise from, the General Medical Council (GMC) at the advertised post start date for the vacancy.

You must be able to provide complete details of your employment history, including any gaps.

• You must complete all sections of the application form fully and truthfully, in accordance with written guidelines.
• You must disclose in your application if you are subject to any ongoing fitness to practise proceedings or are subject to any fitness to practise conditions.
• If you are currently in training and applying to continue training in the same specialty in another region, you must obtain a Support for Application to another region form signed by the Training Programme Director/Head of School of your current Specialty Training Programme. This must confirm satisfactory progress and be submitted with your application.
• If you have previously resigned, or been removed from a training programme in any specialty, you must obtain a Support for Reapplication to Specialty Training form signed by the Training Programme Director/Head of School and Postgraduate Dean from the region you previously undertook training in. This must be submitted with your application.
• If you have previously resigned, been removed from, or relinquished a Foundation post or training programme and failed to gain the award of a Foundation Programme Certificate of Completion (FPCC), or Foundation Achievement of Competence Document 5.2 (FACD 5.2) you you must obtain a Dean's Supporting Declaration proforma signed by the Postgraduate Dean from the region you previously undertook Foundation training in. This must be submitted with your application.

For applicants with a medical degree applying for a medical training post in Public Health

You must have evidence of achievement of foundation competences in the three and a half years preceding the advertised post start date for the vacancy, via one of the following 5 methods.

• Current employment in a UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO) affiliated foundation programme.
• Current employment in a GMC approved Specialty Training Programme holding either a National Training Number (NTN) or Deanery Reference Number (DRN).
• A Foundation Programme Certificate of Completion (FPCC) from a UK affiliated foundation programme.
• Awarded a CCT in another specialty, and in current or recent practice as a Consultant, Associate Specialist or Specialty Doctor within that specialty (minimum 3 months whole time equivalent within the three and a half years preceding the advertised post start date and by application closing date)
• 12 months medical experience after full GMC registration (or equivalent post licensing experience), and a Certificate of Readiness to Enter Specialty Training (CREST).

For applicants with a medical degree applying for a medical training post in Public Health: 

• You must have a minimum of 2 years of postgraduate medical experience by the advertised post start date for the vacancy (equivalent to that obtained in a UK Foundation Training Programme). 

For applicants without a medical degree, or those with a medical degree choosing to apply through the non-medical route: 

• You must have at least 48 months (whole time equivalent) work experience by application closing date, of which at least 24 months (whole time equivalent) must be in an area relevant to population health practice (relevance to public health practice will be evidenced by explanation of relevance on the application form). The 24 months should be at Band 6 or above of Agenda for Change or equivalent and a minimum of 3 months (whole time equivalent) at Band 6 level or equivalent in the three and a half years preceding the intended start date. 

• You meet all criteria specified in the Eligibility to Apply section above.

• Interest in, and understanding of, the training programme.

• Ability to work in multi-professional teams and supervise colleagues.
• Ability to lead, make decisions, organise and motivate other team members
• Ability to manage/prioritise own and others’ time effectively.
• Ability to work safely under pressure and deliver good clinical care in the face of uncertainty.
• Ability to monitor developing situations and anticipate issues.
• Good basic IT skills, including Microsoft Office, email, and ability to learn new systems.

• Understanding of research, including awareness of ethical issues.
• Understanding of the basic principles of audit, clinical risk management, evidence-based practice, patient safety, and clinical quality improvement initiatives.
• Knowledge of evidence-informed practice.

• Commitment to personal and professional development.
• Ability to work on own initiative, demonstrating curiosity.
• Strong attention to detail, preparation and planning.
• Ability to communicate messages effectively to a range of audiences.
• Ability to negotiate and build positive professional relationships.
• Strong problem-solving skills, with an analytical/scientific approach to problem solving.

• Understanding of NHS management and resources.
• Experience of management.
• Experience of research.
• Experience of audit and quality improvement.
• Experience of teaching.

Technical skills – technical knowledge and clinical expertise 

• Demonstrates an understanding of the concepts of health, disease, and illness and of structural, environmental, and behavioural determinants of health at a population level. 

• Demonstrates understanding of public health concepts and inequalities and an appreciation of the importance of health protection. 

• Demonstrates awareness of situations in which work is undertaken, including political awareness, understanding of the impact of national policy on health, and awareness of the importance of clinical and corporate governance. 

Academic and research skills 

• Demonstrates understanding of the importance and basic principles of scientific research and evidence-based practice. 

• Demonstrates basic understanding of research methodology including research ethics, statistics and epidemiology, basic ability to appraise critically a scientific research paper. 

Conceptual thinking and problem solving 

• Capability to use critical and strategic thinking to understand and solve complex problems. 

• Capability for numerical, critical thinking and verbal reasoning. 

• Capability to handle uncertainty. 

Managing others and team involvement 

• Demonstrates capability and willingness to work in multi-disciplinary teams and respects multi- agency contribution to health. 

• Ability to attend face to face meetings at least two days per week in the region of appointment 

Organisation and planning 

• Capability to work with long time scales for delivery within agencies with differing priorities. 

Coping with pressure 

• Demonstrates initiative and resilience to adapt and respond to changing circumstances, timescales, organisational structures, and systems. 

Commitment to specialty 

• Demonstrates relevance of first and/or higher degree and previous experience to Public Health. 

• Demonstrates evidence of interest and realistic insight into public health, with an understanding of, and commitment to, public health principles in relation to interventions around the needs of an individual and the population in general.