The Foundation Programme as a new postgraduate training program in the UK: An example of social democratic medical education

Abstract

1) The Foundation Programme, consisting of 2-year rotations for residents, was introduced as a new postgraduate training scheme in 2005.
2)In the Foundation Programme, medical students are requested to apply for Foundation Schools in each district.
3) Foundation physicians are assessed with a Foundation Learning Portfolio, which is characterized by high validity and is based on medical education theory.
4) The Foundation Programme is strongly influenced by the National Health Service, which is a social democratic health-care system. Therefore, we may describe British medical education as "social democratic medical education."
5) In Japan, physicians and professional medical educators are requested to seek a new model of postgraduate training system balancing liberalism and social democracy.