Every August an estimated 50,000 medics – including doctors – across the UK move into new posts in hospitals to train in alternative specialties. This is known as the August Rotation or ‘changeover’ period.

The training year commences on the first Wednesday of August and ends on the Tuesday of the following year, this is when new foundation house doctors arrive to hospitals for their clinical rotation. A new working environment, new clinical experiences allow medical students to apply their knowledge they have learnt from med school. During a doctors Foundation Year 1 and Foundation Year 2 (FY1 and FY2) they will rotate over various specialities, where they will shadow a clinical supervisor and other experienced clinicians, having access to patients and daily running’s of a department.

After completion of a doctors ARCP they are able to go into training or decide to locum for 12 months, which is commonly know as a FY3 year. This opportunity has become more favourable for a doctor as it will enable a doctor to earn money, but also to be flexible working and have a personal life balance. If a junior doctor has a specialised speciality that he/ she would like to pursue, this will give a perfect opportunity to gain that experience.