School Student
What's surgery like?
Working options
The training pathway will take surgeons through a variety of training grades to an eventual post as a consultant surgeon. Currently, this involves foundation training for two years (F1 and 2) in a variety of medical specialties, followed by competitive entry into core training (CT1 and 2) in surgery. This involves many surgical specialties but may be themed towards a particular specialty in which you will eventually specialise. This is followed by approximately six years in specialty training (ST training 3 plus). When you have completed this you will be awarded a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) and can apply for consultant posts or you may undertake further training or a fellowship.
In addition to this training pathway, there are many other ways in which you can practise as a surgeon. Indeed, the training pathway will not appeal to all aspiring surgeons and the options outlined below may be more suitable to both your lifestyle and capabilities.
