I'm considering LTFT training:

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A good place to start is the AAGBI’s A-Z guide to LTFT Training in Anaesthesia, which can be found here https://www.aagbi.org/professionals/trainees/training-issues/ltft-training and which may answer many of your questions about LTFT training.

 

Am I eligible?

You can apply to train LTFT if you fulfil one of the following criteria:

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Category 1 (automatically eligible) = trainees with carer responsibilities, i.e. parent/guardian of dependent children, or looking after other dependent relatives; trainees with a disability who are unable to work full time for health reasons.

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Category 2 (discretionary) = trainees who want to undertake other paid / unpaid employment alongside their training, or who are lucky enough to have a unique opportunity to pursue other non-medical interests (eg  national / international sporting event, burgeoning music / fashion design / wildlife photography career etc.)

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How do I apply?

  1.  Discuss your plans with your Training Programme Director

  2.  Complete an LTFT Eligibility Form (http://www.lpmde.ac.uk/training-programme/training-matters/less-than-full-time-training) and return it to the HEE.

  3.  Complete an LTFT Approval Form (http://www.lpmde.ac.uk/training-programme/training-matters/less-than-full-time-training),  send it to Lucy Hamer for the TPD to sign, and then send it to the Trust where you will be working LTFT – AT LEAST 8 WEEKS BEFORE YOU START IN POST

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What do I need to bear in mind about training LTFT?

  1. It will delay your CCT date (because you’ll need more years working less than full time to complete the full training programme)

  2. You will be paid less than working full time

  3. You will have to keep on top of (and be proactive about) the unavoidable LTFT admin – eg submitting a new LTFT Approval Form every time you move Trusts, agreeing your rota with your slot share partner, chasing payroll if (when) they miscalculate your salary, etc.

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What are the advantages?

  1. More time with your loved ones. You’ll only get to see your children grown up once: Anaesthetics is one of the few professional careers that – being almost entirely shift-based – genuinely lends itself to part-time working.

  2. Better work life balance, potentially less risk of burnout

  3. Regular family / childcare commitments outside work might even help you maintain a health perspective / improve your time management / be more zen when you are at work.  (But then again, it might not...)

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