What is First Choice SFP?
First Choice SFP (formerly AFP) is a high-quality resource that has been designed to help you secure your first choice Specialised Foundation Programme (SFP) job. It provides essential resources for any medical student considering applying to the SFP.
First Choice SFP has been designed with input from 12 successful applicants to SFP schemes from all across the UK, together sharing years of experience of interview panels and selection processes.
The First choice SFP team have mentored over 60 applicants in the last 5 years through SFP interviews with a 100% success rate for appointment; a majority of whom secured a job in their first choice Unit of Application (equivalent of area/region or deanery) and specialty of their choice.
We now want to share this experience with other upcoming academic leaders, like you!
What do I need to do to get my First Choice SFP job?
There are two important stages of the pathway to successful appointment as an Academic Foundation Programme doctor:
First Choice SFP represents a comprehensive library of resources, allowing you to excel in both of these components.
SFP White Space Answers and SFP Interviews vary significantly depending on your Unit and Specialty of application; there is no national standardisation of the selection processes.
As a First Choice SFP member you will benefit from the wide breadth of experience within the First Choice SFP team, with the only online bank of SFP question guides with over real-world 300 example white space answer responses, a comprehensive library of past SFP interview questions and responses, and detailed 'how-to' guides that represent all areas of the UK (including the most competitive London, Oxford and Cambridge deaneries).
All this for this for a low and affordable price, starting at just £30!
Why do you need First Choice AFP?
Your application to the Academic Foundation Programme represents the culmination of five to six years of hard-work and dedication to achieving high grades during medical school and building a portfolio of extracurricular audit, teaching and research experience.
Your decision of which job or Unit of Application (UoA) to apply to will not be an easy one, and will depend upon your specialty and career ambitions, personal and social circumstances and lifestyle. It all comes down to this - one simple, two-stage application process.
First Choice AFP is designed to support you during your application and interview preparation, giving you an edge in getting your first choice post.
Is the AFP competitive?
The UK Academic Foundation Programme is designed to support future leaders in research, quality improvement and medical education through dedicated time for personal development within the first 2 years of their postgraduate training.
The application process is therefore intensively competitive, particularly in certainly specialties and UoAs; only 5% of Foundation posts have an academic component and competition ratios can range from 3:1 to 15:1 applicants to posts.
In order to be appointable for an AFP job you will need to show evidence of excellent clinical skills and a strong record of academic achievement. However, some medical schools provide significantly more support in structuring and drafting their applications that others.
First Choice AFP aims to the help you #beattheratio and provide every First Choice AFP member world-class guidance in how to make the most out of the opportunity of the AFP application process.
Details on 2019/20 appointments and competition ratios can be found here.
Testimonials
We are very grateful to First Choice AFP members that have provided feedback on the platform.
AFP White Space Answers
"First Choice AFP is an excellent platform for all medical students interested in pursuing academic career. It covers all the aspects of preparing AFP application."
Aleksander, Imperial College London
"I can honestly say it has been incredibly useful in getting me started on my own answers & has given me the push I needed. It gives great advice on how to structure my answers & multiple examples for each subsection. They have also stated that if you try their resource and decide that it’s not for you, they will happily provide you with full refund up to 14 days after your purchase too!"
Alice, Newcastle University
"Comprehensive and concise coverage of key points that should absolutely be addressed during the white space question sections. Highlights key principles and techniques for composing a strong response (these were particularly helpful, as many I had previously not been aware of!). Good layout, whereby a question is asked, and the user can then take the time to formulate an idea/response, before viewing the most optimal technique/response to use (much better than just showing the response straight away)"
Catrin, Queen Mary's University of London
"First Choice AFP is an affordable and valuable resource for any aspiring academic foundation doctor, sure to boost confidence and bolster preparation in applying to their programme of choice. The blank space question bank in particular is insightful, with real world examples to draw on. This also highlights the benchmark students should be aiming for in preparing for their application. The opportunity for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to apply for a full grant promotes equality of opportunity within First Choice AFP. Overall, I would recommend this resource to anyone in their clinical years of medicine who is serious about applying to the AFP."
Michael, Queens University Belfast
"With each section, the website provides specific, in-depth and practical advice in writing your white space questions - this advice extends beyond AFP application and will be useful for any written application format. It's by far the most comprehensive resource I've come across"
Nathan, Hull-York University
"First Choice AFP is an excellent resource in helping me understand the process of making an AFP application. It was easy and user friendly while also being very in-depth in its content. Lastly, the management team have been extremely supportive through my experience and I feel they were very approachable when it came to any concerns I had."
Shiraz, University of Dundee
"Been looking at First Choice AFP for a few weeks whilst thinking through academic foundation placements. It’s been so useful having everything in one place and being able to get to the UoA’s websites so easily. Highly recommend!"
Thomas, University of Warwick
"Explanatory material for virtually every AFP whitespace question with in depth explanation and multiple examples - as far as I can tell there is no other resource like this! This site had much more information than the AFP Secrets book, which everyone seems to be using. I like the style of providing a framework for questions rather than "write this" - it encourages people to think about the process involved in writing a good WSQ"
Final year medical student, Cambridge University