Foundation House Officer

A Foundation House Officer is a grade of medical practitioner in the United Kingdom undertaking the Foundation Programme - a two-year, general postgraduate medical training programme which forms the bridge between medical school and specialist/general practice training. Being a Foundation House Officer is compulsory for all newly qualified medical practitioners in the UK from 2005 onwards. The grade of Foundation House Officer has replaced the traditional grades of Pre-registration house officer and Senior house officer.

Foundation House Officers have the opportunity to gain experience in a series of posts in a variety of specialties and healthcare settings. Learning objectives for each stage are specific and focused on demonstration of clinical competences. Emphasis is on the assessment and management of acutely ill patients. Training also encompasses the generic professional skills applicable to all areas of medicine - team work, time management, communication and IT skills.

Foundation House Officer 1 (FHO1)
In the first year of Foundation Training, Foundation House Officers rotate through three or four jobs in different hospital specialties. The General Medical Council specify that every FHO1 must complete at least three months of General Medicine and at least three months of General Surgery. The rest of the year may be made up of further time spent in General Medicine or General Surgery, or time spent in other specialties (but not in General Practice).

The first year of the Foundation Programme builds upon the knowledge, skills and competences acquired in undergraduate training. The learning objectives for this year are set by the General Medical Council (see their website for more details: http://www.gmc-uk.org/ for full registration are based on the achievement of specific competences. During this first year, Foundation House Officers hold only provisional registration with the General Medical Council, full registration being granted on successful completion of the first year.

Foundation House Officer 2 (FHO2)
FHO2s may do further posts in medicine or surgery, or may do posts in other specialties, such as general practice, emergency medicine, paediatrics, psychiatry, obstetrics or pathology. The training builds on what has been achieved during the previous year. Typically, posts for a Foundation House Officer 2 will be allocated during the previous year to afford doctors in training and their supervisors some flexibility and choice in response to early training experiences.