EBCOG Fellowship guideline 2015

EBCOG supported training fellowships in Obstetrics and Gynaecology – 2015
Revised December 2014

Introduction: In order to stimulate the mobility of trainees across Europe, EBCOG (the European Board and College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists) will award three fellowships to Obstetrics and Gynaecology trainees currently training in Europe. This exciting project, set up by EBCOG and ENTOG (European Network for Trainees in Obstetrics and Gynaecology), successfully piloted in 2012 and 2013, was thought to contribute to the harmonisation of training standards throughout Europe. The positive feedback from these fellowships has resulted in EBCOG awarding a further three fellowships in 2014 and now again in 2015.
Implementation: The fellowship project is currently being managed by an interim working group constituted by Professor Peter Hornnes (Treasurer, EBCOG), Dr Nuno Martins (Webmaster, EBCOG) and Dr Maud Van de Venne (President, ENTOG).
Three fellowships with a secured fund of 3000 euro each have already been approved. Each fellowship will have a duration of three months and should be completed by 31 December 2015.

Guidelines will be made widely available via the EBCOG/ENTOG websites and their respective newsletters. The deadline for fellowship applications is the 16th of MARCH 2015 and the selection will be agreed within the working party. Successful candidates will be awarded their fellowships and will receive a confirmation letter from EBCOG before the 31st of March 2015.
Criteria: Applicants must be Obstetrics and Gynaecology trainees from any of the EBCOG member countries whom have started but not yet completed their basic training prior to the completion of the fellowship. The fellowship is intended to expose the trainees to basic (‘general’ or ‘core’) Obstetrics and Gynaecology training. Although the fellowship can include exposure to one of the four recognised subspecialties (perinatal medicine, reproductive medicine, gynaecological oncology and urogynaecology) it is not intended to provide subspecialty training and this needs to be made clear in the application. The selection committee will be seeking focused fellowship goals that are realistically achievable in the limited three month fellowship.
The fellowship must be hosted in either an EBCOG or nationally accredited training centre. The latter is only applicable for countries with an EBCOG recognised national visitation system and a list of these countries can be found on the EBCOG website. A list of accredited training centres in countries without a recognised national auditing and accreditation system is also available on the EBCOG website.

Obligations: EBCOG should assist trainees in obtaining a fellowship in their accredited centre of choice but cannot guarantee the availability of a hosting centre for the fellowship program. The hosting centre will be required to appoint the trainee a tutor throughout their fellowship, in addition to providing a rota and a list of departmental and national requirements for arranging the fellowship. The trainees learning objectives will be decided on by the individual trainee and their hosting training centre.
Applicants are requested to send the following details to the working group before the deadline:

a) Personal details: full name, date of birth, year and department of training, field of interest (if applicable), 3 strong and 3 weak points in their training to date, mean number of working hours per week
b) A curriculum vitae (maximum two pages)
c) A motivation letter for the fellowship
d) A letter of endorsement written by the head of department from the hospital that the trainee will be leaving to complete their fellowship
e) Department and country of choice and a letter of endorsement (or letter of intention) written by the head of department of the hospital the trainee wishes to complete their fellowship in
Candidates are expected to personally contact the hospital to ensure the feasibility of the fellowship PRIOR to applying for the EBCOG fellowship.
On completion of the fellowship, each trainee is expected to send a final report to EBCOG summarising his or her activities and financial expenditures (mandatory). They are also requested to share their experiences on the ENTOG/EBCOG websites within two months after the completion of the fellowship.
Information for trainees:

• You are personally responsible for planning your fellowship, including travel arrangements and accommodation.
• Additional expenses beyond the 3000€ grant will not be covered by EBCOG.
• Some, but not all, hospitals may be able to negotiate a salary. Please enquire prior to application.
• Check in your own department/country whether the fellowship will be recognised (i.e. whether the three months spent abroad will be included as part of your national training).
• Enquire about possible language barriers (English may not be enough) and enquire about the national requirements to be more than an observer. Recognition of your medical degree/title may be required (e.g. GMC recognition is essential for working in the UK). Please appreciate that these administrative procedures may take a great deal of time to complete.
• Confirm the need for liability insurance, and whether the hosting hospital will cover you.
• Check occupational health requirements such as MRSA swabs, hepatitis and BCG vaccinations.