Specialty Training in Paediatric Dentistry
National Recruitment in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland
2014 Applicant Guidance (version 2)
Thank you for your interest in applying to Specialty Training in Paediatric Dentistry national recruitment in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Please ensure that you read and fully understand the contents of this guidance before submitting your application. Failure to do so may result in you missing vital information in relation to your application.
In submitting an application form, applicants confirm that they have read and understood the application process. Other than the referee section up to the closing date, you will not be able to change your application once it has been submitted. If you have any questions, please ensure you contact Mrs Wendy Cole, Business Manager, prior to submitting your application.
1. Introduction
Health Education West Midlands (HE WM) has been nominated by the SAC in Paediatric Dentistry to co-ordinate the national recruitment of StR level Paediatric Dentistry trainees. It has been agreed that all posts vacant after 31st December 2013 will be included in the national process, in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland initially. This includes any NIHR Academic Clinical Fellows posts in Paediatric Dentistry that are awarded. Prior to 2014, the recruitment was held at local level.
In order to agree a standardised, fair and equitable process of selection, a working group has been established, chaired by Mrs Victoria Clark, Training Programme Director for Paediatric Dentistry in the West Midlands. SAC, COPDEND, academic, trainee and regional representatives are also included.
2. Key dates
Advert / 27.06.14Applications open / 04.07.14 (09.00)
Applications close / 04.08.14 (16.00)
Shortlisting / 20.08.14
Open days at units / September 2014
Interviews / 16.10.14
Offers / w/c 20.10.14
3. How to apply
An advert will appear on NHS jobs and in the BDJ.
All applications must be made via Intrepid Pathway 2014 ONLY, and you will need to register before you will be able to complete your application
www.intrepidpathway.co.uk
Applications open at 09.00 (UK local time) on 4th July 2014 and close at 16.00 (UK local time) on 4th August 2014. It will not be possible to submit an application after the deadline of 16.00 (UK local time) on 4th August 2014.
For your future information, recruitment to dental training posts will be moving to the Oriel recruitment portal. Future applicant guides will contain full details of the process.
Up to date information about the vacancies available will be updated on our website.
www.westmidlandsdeanery.nhs.uk/Dentistry/SpecialtyTraining.aspx
Communication between HE WM and applicants will primarily be via e-mail. Applicants should check their e-mail account regularly so as not to miss vital information in relation to their applications. Please also check your “spam” or “junk-mail” to ensure that correspondence has not been filtered by your provider. Please do not contact anyone else but Wendy Cole for recruitment information.
4. Eligibility
Before beginning your application it is important for you to determine whether you are eligible to apply. Applicants must meet certain eligibility criteria in order to be considered for StR/ACF training.
Please refer to the relevant person specifications for full details.
5. Right to work in the United Kingdom
Applicants should refer to the UK Border Agency website for up to date information regarding the right to work in the UK. HE WM will not be able to provide any advice regarding immigration.
6. Applicants with a disability, health concerns or religious requirements
Applicants who wish to discuss the possibility of an adjustment at the selection centre must provide full details via email to by the application closing date. In this e-mail please indicate what your requirements are and provide evidence if applicable, (for example applicants with dyslexia will need to provide their work psychology report). Reasonable adjustments will not be made if you do not inform HE WM in advance prior to the application closing date.
7. References and pre-employment checks
HE WM will contact your referees only if you are appointed. References will be shared with the local region or employer before you commence employment. You will be asked to provide the details of 3 referees on your online application.
All other pre-employment checks required will be carried out by the local region or employer before you commence employment; any training post offers will be made subject to satisfactory references and completion of pre-employment checks.
8. Expressing Preferences
Training scheme information and open day dates will be available on our website after 1st July 2014. Shortlisted applicants are invited to attend open days but this is not mandatory nor will it form part of the selection process.
Should there be more than one unit with a vacancy, a pro-forma will be issued to shortlisted candidates to be handed back to HE WM staff on the day of the selection centre, (16th October 2014), after which date no changes to preferences can be made. The pro-forma will list the training units with vacancies and candidates will be asked to rank their preference of training unit should they be appointed. Offers will then be made on the basis of performance at the selection day.
9. Deferred Entry
Deferment can only be considered on statutory grounds such as maternity leave or ill health. Please ensure that you inform HE WM of your intention to defer as soon as it is known.
10. Shortlisting
For this selection process a shortlisting meeting will take place on 20th August 2014; all applicants will be shortlisted against the essential and desirable criteria of the person specification so as to draw up a list of candidates to call for interview. Members of the national working group will be involved in this process.
11. Selection centre
The selection process will be managed at one centre on Thursday, 16th October 2014. The venue is West Bromwich Albion Football Club, Halfords Lane, West Bromwich, West Midlands, B71 4LF.
In exceptional circumstances this date may be amended and every effort will be made to advise applicants in good time.
A formal notification, inviting applicants to the selection centre, will be sent via e-mail after 20th August 2014. Applicants will be given 48 hours excluding weekends and bank holidays to formally accept or reject their offered selection centre slot.
The selection centre process will comprise of 5 stations for StR applicants and 6 stations for ACF applicants if applicable. Candidates will rotate around each station:
Ø Station 1 - Communication Skills
This station will take the form of a role play. A professional role-player will play the part of a patient’s parent. Applicants will be observed by 2 clinicians and will be assessed on their interaction with the “parent” by the clinicians and the role player. Applicants will have 10 minutes to read and make notes on a scenario prior to entering this station.
Ø Station 2 - Clinical Governance, Teaching and Research
In this station the applicant will be asked to answer scenario based questions by 2 clinicians in a standard interview format.
Ø Station 3 - Clinical experience and commitment to the specialty
In this station the applicant will be asked to answer questions by 2 clinicians in a standard interview format.
Ø Station 4 - Management, Teamwork, NHS and GDC knowledge
In this station the applicant will be asked to answer questions by 2 clinicians in a standard interview format.
Ø Station 5 - Portfolio and CV Assessment
This station assesses the documented evidence of the applicant’s training progress to date. The portfolio and CV will be assessed by 2 clinicians; the applicant will not be present in this station.
Ø Station 6 – ACF Academic station
This station is only for those applicants who have applied for ACF training. In this station the applicant will be asked to answer questions by 2 clinicians in a standard interview format.
Applicants may rotate around these stations in any order.
Other than the above information, no further details of the stations or their contents will be disclosed by HE WM.
12. Lay Chair
A national Lay Chairperson will oversee the selection process and ensure that all panels are consistent and managed in accordance with the agreed process. The role of the Lay Chairperson will be to:
Ø Attend and chair the selection centre
Ø Ensure that decisions are fair and equitable
13. Documentation
Applicants will be asked to bring certain documentation with them to the selection centre. Failure to bring the specified documents may result in applicants not being assessed. Any applicant with concerns over their ability to bring the required documents with them should make contact with Wendy Cole in advance of the selection centre.
Please ensure you bring the original document plus a photocopy. The copy will be retained by staff at the selection centre.
14. Offer process
The scores of all applicants will be collated to produce a single ranking based on the scores from all the stations.
Offers of training placements will be made by e-mail by HE WM in the week commencing 20th October 2014, and will be based upon applicant rank and preference if there is more than one vacancy to fill. The allocation to a training unit will depend on the ranking you achieve as a result of your selection centre performance.
ACF candidates will have rotated through the 5 StR stations and also the additional ACF Station 6. Those appointed to the ACF posts will need to have achieved a certain total score on the 5 stations which will be agreed at the end of the selection centre based on the standard of the day’s cohort of applicants.
Applicants will be given 48 hours excluding weekends and bank holidays in which to accept or reject an offer. Once all offers have been accepted, the details of the successful applicants will be sent to the regions with the vacancies.
Please note that special circumstances will not be taken into account when allocating to a training programme. If you limit your preferences, this may mean that applicants who would be eligible for an offer based on their score and rank will not receive an offer of a training post.
15. Feedback
Individual feedback will automatically be sent to all candidates after the selection centre. This will be limited to:
Ø Your percentage score per station
Ø Your total percentage score
Ø The highest percentage score of the candidate cohort
Ø The lowest percentage score of the candidate cohort
Ø Your ranking
16. Expenses
Please note that HE WM will pay reasonable expenses incurred by applicants attendingthe selection centre as per their current terms and conditions of service, to a maximum of £100.
17. Enquiries
Any further enquiries should be made to Mrs Wendy Cole as above.
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