Scottish Medical Training

The Department of Cardiology in Aberdeen is able to offer quality training in all aspects of cardiovascular disease except transplant medicine. There are opportunities to gain experience in non-invasive imaging with access to advanced Echo techniques, CT, MRI and PET and there is particular local expertise in nuclear cardiac imaging.

Aberdeen

With a population approximately 250,000 Aberdeen stands between the Rivers Dee and Don. The historic old city has many buildings of architectural interest and the use of the sparkling local granite has earned Aberdeen the name of the Silver City. As well as being an international centre for the oil industry, Aberdeen retains its old charm and character making it an attractive place to live, with a good quality of life. There are good national and international transport links by air, rail, road and sea and a wide choice of housing in the city and in rural villages within easy commuting distance to the hospital.
Education facilities are excellent, with two girls’ and one co-educational independent school, as well as an international school.
Amenities are first class, with restaurants, night clubs, theatres, music hall, exhibition centre, art galleries, museums and sporting facilities. The city is close to some of Scotland’s best countryside with easy access for hill-walking, mountaineering, skiing, fishing and golf.

Inverness

Inverness stands on the River Ness and has a population of nearly 70,000. It was granted city status in 2000. It is an attractive city with a mild climate and offers access to the highlands, Loch Ness and the West Coast. There are good transport links by road, rail and air to all parts of Scotland and the UK.
Additional information:
University of Aberdeen: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/
NHS Grampian: http://www.nhsgrampian.org/
NHS Highland: http://www.nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk/
Aberdeen City: http://www.aberdeen-grampian.com/
Inverness: http://www.inverness-scotland.com/

Specialty Information

Training in electrophysiology, coronary intervention, heart failure, device therapy and Grown Up Congenital Heart Disease is available with opportunities for out of programme experience where this is deemed appropriate. Procedures are performed in modern, well-equipped digital laboratories adjacent to the Department of Cardiology. There is an Academic Department of Cardiology led by the Regius Professor of Cardiology, providing opportunities for research but also numbered academic training for those attracted to an academic career in Cardiology. All of this training is located on a single site although the Deanery encourages trainees to obtain early General Medical and District General Hospital Cardiology experience in the Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, where early and unopposed training in echo, cardiac catheterisation and pacing is available.

There are frequent educational meetings where cases are discussed, papers presented or audit reported. The Department of Cardiology in Aberdeen is committed to offering sustained quality training with close, appropriate supervision and ready access to support and advice.

The Department of Cardiology in the North is able to offer quality training in all aspects of cardiovascular disease except transplant medicine. There are opportunities to gain experience in non-invasive imaging with access to advanced Echo techniques, CT, MRI and PET and there is particular local expertise in nuclear cardiac imaging.

All trainees are encouraged to be involved in audit, teaching and quality research. The presence of an academic department of cardiology facilitates these opportunities. Trainees with an interest in research or an academic career can apply for a SCREDS post which is a numbered training position but with protected time for focused research. Alternatively, trainees can be supported in research and audit through the regular contact meetings with trainers. Training is a departmental priority and there are several educational opportunities weekly. In addition to the Training Programme Director, each trainee is attached to a clinical supervisor for closer monitoring of progress and mentoring.

Aberdeen is unique in Scotland, if not the UK, in that it has a full complement of all specialty services under one roof.

Whilst in ARI, trainees participate in an on-call rota covering acute cardiology problems throughout the hospital, and also including assisting with primary PCI. Training in echocardiography (including stress and TOE modalities), coronary angiography (including PCI and rotablation), nuclear cardiology, cardiac MRI, electrophysiology procedures and a full range of modern device therapy is all available on-site, with an increasing number of more complex devices now also being implanted. There is a weekly educational meeting, plus an additional programme solely for Registrar education.

Through links with the University of Aberdeen, trainees are encouraged to undertake research.

The programme offers placement in Raigmore Hospital, Inverness for a minimum of one year of the programme. These are generally at the start of the programme and covers training requirements in General (Internal) Medicine, but also a significant exposure to modern cardiology practice, including angiography / PCI / brady pacing / ICD's / echo and has a very active CT coronary angiography department. There is a bi-weekly MDET meeting iwth visiting cardiac surgeons.

We are proud to be able to say that all of our trainees have progressed painlessly to senior positions, most with additional post-graduate degrees.

With a population approximately 250,000 Aberdeen stands between the Rivers Dee and Don. The historic old city has many buildings of architectural interest and the use of the sparkling local granite has earned Aberdeen the name of the Silver City. As well as being an international centre for the oil industry, Aberdeen retains its old charm and character making it an attractive place to live, with a good quality of life. There are good national and international transport links by air, rail, road and sea and a wide choice of housing in the city and in rural villages within easy commuting distance to the hospital. Amenities are first class, with restaurants, night clubs, theatres, music hall, exhibition centre, art galleries, museums and sporting facilities. The city is close to some of Scotland's best countryside with easy access for hill-walking, mountaineering, skiing, fishing and golf.

Inverness stands on the River Ness and has a population of nearly 70,000. It was granted city status in 2000. It is an attractive city with a mild climate and offers access to the highlands, Loch Ness and the West Coast. There are good transport links by road, rail and air to all parts of Scotland and the UK.

North of Scotland – placements in Aberdeen Hospitals and Inverness
NHS Grampian
Aberdeen Royal Infirmary
NHS Highland
Raigmore Hospital, Inverness