Subspecialty training

There are four subspecialties within O&G training, the curricula for each one can be found at the links below

• Gynaecological oncology
• Maternal and fetal medicine
• Reproductive medicine
• Urogynaecology

All of these subspecialties are available within the Scotland Deanery in the following regions

South-East Scotland – Gynaecological Oncology, Reproductive Medicine and Maternal and Fetal Medicine as a joint programme with West of Scotland

West of Scotland - Maternal and Fetal Medicine as a joint programme with South East Scotland, Urogynaecology and Gynaecological Oncology

North of Scotland- Reproductive Medicine and Gynaecological Oncology

Subspecialty Training is a minimum 3-year training programme which comprises

• A minimum of 2 years of clinical training which is competence based
• 12 months of dedicated research – if research has been undertaken prior to starting the subspecialty programme this can be taken into account and if research exemption is granted by the subspecialty committee a minimum of 2 years of clinical training is required.

The Subspecialty Training Programme Supervisor is responsible for overseeing the subspecialty training programme and all the subspecialty training programmes have been approved by the RCOG

Applying for Subspecialty Training

Subspecialty Training programmes are advertised in the BMJ and appointment is through open competition involving a structured interview process.

Once appointed to subspecialty training you need to register with the RCOG Subspecialty Committee using the subspecialty training registration form emailed to the Advanced Training Coordinator at subspecialtytraining@rcog.org.uk. You will then need to pay the Advanced Training registration fee and how to pay.

Subspecialty assessment

Subspecialty training is assessed through centralised subspecialty assessment which ensures a robust assessment process ensuring national consistency. These assessments are done twice a year in March and October and carried out by a chair and two accredited subspecialists.

Research Exemption for subspecialty training

The following are required to fulfil the research component of subspecialty training

• Completion of an MD or PhD relevant to the subspecialty
• Publication of two first-author papers of original research relevant to the subspecialty
• Completion of the clinical research APM

Undertaking Subspecialty Training in another deanery

If you wish to undertake subspecialty training in another deanery you must apply for out of programme training (OOPT) and usually requires a minimum of 3 months notice to your home deanery Training Programme Director. Your home deanery is still responsible for your ARCP and your period of grace.

This page was last updated on: 21.04.2022 at 10.41