Combined Infection Training - Infectious Diseases - Medical Microbiology
Programme description
GMC Reference: WOS/2112
Combined Infection Training
Infection Medicine focuses on the management of patients with infections or at risk of developing infections. This comprises clinical evaluation, diagnostics, antimicrobial treatment, antimicrobial stewardship, Infection Prevention and Control, Travel Medicine and outbreak management. The specialties collated under the umbrella of Infection Medicine are the specialties Infectious Disease, Medical Microbiology, Medical Virology and Tropical Medicine. In Scotland, the Medical Microbiology and Medical Virology programmes are delivered as dual training with Infectious Diseases.
Infectious diseases specialty residents are all dual trained and gain CCTs in Infectious Diseases (ID) with either Internal Medicine (IM), Medical Microbiology (MM), or Medical Virology (MV). Those with CCTs in ID/IM are capable of taking on consultant roles whereby they participate in acute medical services in addition to direct patient care of patients with infections (often by rotation with colleagues). Those with dual CCTs in ID/MM or ID/MV are not expected to participate in acute medical takes at consultant level but they may take on consultant roles whereby they provide direct patient care on infectious diseases units or virtual wards, outpatients, bedside infection consult services and/or they may take on more laboratory-based microbiology/virology consultant roles in spoke or hub centres.
Infection training programmes consist of 2 initial years of Combined Infection Training (CIT). This is followed by two years of higher specialty training in Infectious diseases with General Internal Medicine (GIM) (having previously completed Stage 1 Internal Medicine Training), or 3 years if combining Medical Microbiology or Medical Virology with Infectious Diseases.
Recruitment is managed through national recruitment to CIT, residents will apply to and be appointed to ID/GIM, ID/MM or ID/MV programmes with National Training Numbers (NTN) being issued accordingly. It will not be possible to change programme at the end of CIT without going through a separate recruitment process.
Combined training offers a progressive approach to Infection training combining both the clinical and laboratory aspects relevant to patient care and ensuring all Specialist residents will gain in depth knowledge about the significant advances in molecular technology and their impact on patient care. The 2 year common CIT programme consists of one year in ID department placements (Outpatient clinics, OPAT, in-patient care, clinical consultation) and one year in laboratory based placements in microbiology and virology (laboratory based practical work, laboratory management, infection control, clinical consultation).
On call commitments form part of the training programme, and for all residents during CIT this will include infection specialty on call work as well as on call covering general medical wards (e.g. Hospital at night) and/or participating in acute unselected medical take.
What additional information would you like to include that may encourage residents to apply for specialty training in this programme in preference to similar programmes in other parts of the UK?
The National Training days rotating through five training centres are very popular with the residents and the curriculum is delivered by experts in their areas of interest. There is excellent exposure to the whole spectrum of clinical infection. There are close links between the various centres and their local universities. Each centre has particular areas of interest and strengths which offer prospective candidates a further diversity of choice. The training in Scotland embraces a culture of collaboration between regions and affiliated hospitals so as to offer residents a unique opportunity to learn and share experience with others. Whilst all the programmes are hosted in major Scottish cities all locations offer a good quality of life and ready access to more rural parts of Scotland.
Medical Microbiology - West of Scotland
In Scotland, the training in Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases follows the joint RCPath and JRCPTB curriculum. All posts offered will be joint MM/ID. The 2 years of CIT are divided into a year in MM and MV and a year in ID.
Medical Microbiology (including virology, mycology & parasitology) involves a varied and interesting work experience that includes laboratory based practical work, laboratory management, clinical liaison, infection control, health protection and research & audit etc.
During the year in microbiology and virology, residents will acquire both basic skills in the laboratory and gain experience in clinical microbiology and virology in a variety of clinical settings. In the latter part of this period residents will have opportunities to gain experience in management of a variety of infections in both adults and children.
Learning opportunities will include participating in duty microbiology teams, ‘infection ward’ rounds and ward rounds in specialist units including intensive care units.
There are opportunities of participating in multi-disciplinary meetings in specialist units including haematology/oncology (including Bone Marrow Transplantation), Neonatology, Cardiothoracic Surgery (including Cardiac transplantation), solid-organ transplant, Neurosurgery, Orthopaedics etc.
The residents will also have opportunities to gain some experience in infection prevention and control activities.
Research, audit, teaching and management opportunities
There are many opportunities to take part in research projects, in addition to laboratory and clinical audits. All training centres offer these within departments, in affiliated reference laboratories (see below), and local university departments. Residents will also have opportunities to participate in undergraduate teaching. Participation in leadership and management activities is fundamental to all positions as is engagement with quality improvement activity.
All 4 regions offer opportunities for full time research carried out as OOPR. Around 50% of residents are doing research for higher degrees. Residents can also apply to do research outside their regions either within Scotland or in other centres in the UK.
Information on applying for academic posts in Scotland is provided on: https://www.scotmt.scot.nhs.uk/specialty/scottish-academic-training-screds/
Educational Opportunities: There are excellent educational opportunities at each of the centres. There is also a national Infection specialty educational programme hosted throughout Scotland with site participation via videoconferencing. This popular programme is supported by consultants across the infection specialties and has attracted invited speakers from academia and public health.
Where the training is delivered?
- University Hospital Crosshouse, Kilmarnock, Ayrshire
- Glasgow Royal Infirmary
- Golden Jubilee National Hospital, Clydebank
- University Hospital Monklands, Airdrie
- Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley
- The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Glasgow
West of Scotland
Queen Elizabeth University Hospital
This new hospital, Scotland’s largest, offers most general specialities but includes specialist units such as: Regional Neurosciences, Paediatrics a large general ITU, a large Glasgow–wide renal unit, Regional Infectious Diseases Unit etc). The laboratories provide the microbiology and virology service to the remaining specialities on the Gartnavel General Hospital site – which included the West of Scotland Cancer Centre (Beatson) – comprising of oncology, haemato-oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation.
The microbiology service in South Glasgow moved into a purpose built ‘state of the art’ laboratory building on this site in 2012.
Glasgow Royal Infirmary - includes a large and busy ITU, the Regional Burns and Plastics Unit and a large Surgical Unit including specialist pancreatic surgery etc. Microbiology Department at GRI also includes four Scottish Microbiology Reference Laboratories: namely the Pneumococcus, Legionella, Haemophilus and Meningococcus; MRSA; Salmonella, Shigella and Clostridium difficile; and Parasite reference laboratories.
The West of Scotland Specialist Virology Centre which was one of the first in the UK to introduce molecular testing into the routine laboratory setting.
Golden Jubilee National Hospital, Clydebank
Has the West of Scotland regional services for cardiothoracic surgery and specialist cardiology. It also contains the National (Scottish) Cardiac Transplant Centre and provides the opportunity for experience in a tertiary centre.
Royal Alexandra Hospital Paisley - a busy 700 bedded District General Hospital which includes in patient paediatrics and offers excellent DGH experience.
District General Hospitals: Monklands Hospital, and Crosshouse Hospital, Ayrshire possible rotations for bench training.
Contacts and useful links
Information |
|
| Programme type (Deanery or National): | Deanery |
| Administration office: | West |
| Lead Dean / Director: | Dr Marion Slater |
| Responsible Associate Postgraduate Dean or Assistant Director (GP): | Dr Clair Evans |
| Specialty or Sub-specialty: | Specialty |
| Date of GMC recent approval: | Jan 2015 |
| Associated Royal College - Faculty: |
Royal College of Pathologists |
| Curriculum and associated assessment system: | http://www.gmc-uk.org/education/medical_microbiology.asp |
| Programme administrator: |
Name:
Dianne Morrison
Address: NHS Education for Scotland Forest Grove House Foresterhill Road Aberdeen AB25 2ZP Email: Dianne.Morrison@nhs.scot |
| Programme director(s): |
Name:
Dr Anna Jarchow-MacDonald Email: Anna.Jarchow-MacDonald2@nhs.scot |
| Quality of training: | Quality Management |
This page was last updated on: 28.11.2025 at 14.56