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Training and development (GUM)

The approved postgraduate training programme for genitourinary medicine is available from the GMC.

You will need to complete core training after your two-year foundation programme. Core training has a choice of two pathways:

• core medical training – CMT, which is a two-year programme
• acute care common stem – ACCS (acute medicine), which is a three-year programme

Programmes generally consist of four to six placements in medical specialties which must include direct involvement in the acute medical take. Trainees record their workplace-based assessments in an ePortfolio which they continue to use throuhgout specialty training.

Applicants for specialty training at ST3 should also hold the full MRCP (UK). Not all applicants who meet the required standard to continue will necessarily be offered a post due to the level of competition.

Trainees can enter specialty training in genitourinary medicine at ST3 level. ST3 training usually takes a minimum of four years.

The specialty aims to provide an integrated and comprehensive sexual health service, and incorporates opportunities to train in genital lesions and dermatoses, sexual dysfunction, contraception, adolescent health, sexual assault and public health. Some centres will also have a short-term placement in infectious diseases.

Successful completion of specialty training (ST3-6) will enable you to gain a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) and to be registered on the Specialist Register in genitourinary medicine.

The JRCPTB has detailed information on the curriculum and assessment for GUM.

Detailed entry requirements and all essential and desirable criteria are listed in the person specification 2017 for GUM ST3.

All 2017 person specifications can be found on the NHS specialty training website. Please note that these documents are updated every year in the autumn before the recruitment round opens.

The specialty is well suited to flexible training and working patterns.

This information is correct at the time of writing. Full and accurate details of training pathways are available from medical royal colleges, local education and training boards (LETBs) or the GMC.

Getting in tips

It is important to develop your practical skills and interest in genitourinary medicine as early as you can. This will also give you valuable experience to add to your CV.

Whether you're a medical student, foundation trainee or doing your core specialty training, there's information below to help you. 

• Medical students

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  • join your university medical society
  • attend conferences for medical students – this will give you an opportunity to network and meet your future colleagues
  • get involved with the GMC (General Medical Council), eg medical students can participate in visits to medical schools as part of the GMC’s quality assurance process
  • consider becoming a student member of the BMA (the British Medical Association is the trade union and professional association for doctors and provides careers advice)
  • plan any study-selected components or electives to try out specialties that are of interest to you
  • make your specialty decisions in good time so that you can test it out before committing yourself, eg by using hospital visits and clinical placements arranged as part of your course to ask questions and observe people at work
  • choose the topic of your supervised research project carefully to test out your thinking

• Foundation trainees

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  • remember your first priority is to demonstrate that you have developed the personal, learning, clinical, practical and management skills needed by all doctors
  • think laterally when applying for rotations – vacancies may not be available in GUM so apply for a rotation in a related field where the holistic treatment of patients is important such as geriatric medicine
  • talk to your clinical and educational supervisors about particular areas of interest to explore
  • use full placements to experience specialties that you might be interested in or apply for taster experiences if you can’t get a placement
  • talk with your peers about their career ideas and experiences – you may be able to help each other
  • listen to information and advice from more experienced doctors but make your own decisions
  • taking part in a clinical audit is important for your development as a doctor but you may be able to choose an audit project related to a specialty that interests you
  • ensure your Foundation e-portfolio has plenty of medical evidence and that this is kept properly up-to-date
  • try to gain teaching and management experience
  • consider volunteering for a sexual health charity such as Terrence Higgins Trust
  • look at competition ratios (ie the number of applicants to places) critically. Find out what is happening this year and spot any regional differences in competition ratios
  • view the careers resources on the Foundation Programme website
  • write case reports or make presentations with a genito-urinary medicine focus

• Core and specialty trainees

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  • ensure a good grounding in acute general medicine
  • speak to consultants about what the role is like
  • read as much information as you can on the websites of relevant professional bodies
  • question your own perceptions and possible negative stereotypes of the specialty
  • impress interviewers by showing that your interest in the specialty is intrinsically motivated, ie you are drawn to the work and not just attracted by admiration of someone you have shadowed (you'll also be happier in your career in that specialty many years later)
  • be prepared to move to where the vacancies are
  • continue to develop your practical and academic expertise
  • undertake a research project
  • try to get some of your work published and present at national and international meetings
  • join or start a Journal Club (a group who meet to critically evaluate academic research)
  • teach junior colleagues
  • take on any management opportunities you are offered