Senior house officer

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A senior house officer (SHO) is a doctor undergoing specialist training in the United Kingdom National Health Service. A doctor typically works as an SHO for 2-3 years, or occasionally longer, before becoming a registrar. SHOs need to be in posts approved by a postgraduate dean, as well as passing postgraduate exams (such as the Membership of the Royal College of Physicians/MRCP), in order to qualify for a registrar post.

SHO jobs typically last 6 months or multiples of this. Longer SHO posts are typically rotations, where the junior doctor works in different departments or even hospitals consecutively.

In 2002, the Department of Health announced reforms in the training of newly qualified doctors under the banner of "Modernising Medical Careers"^[1], merging the internship year ("pre-registration house officer", "PRHO" or "house officer") and the first year of SHO training into a "foundation programme". This programme was formally introduced in August 2005.

In 2005, the British Medical Association (BMA) reported that there were insufficient SHO posts available to provide training for newly qualified doctors who had completed their PRHO year^[2]. Postgraduate deans and the Department of Health disputed this.

Contents 1 USA uses 2 References 3 See also 4 External links

[edit] USA uses

Physicians in training in the United States are also referred to as "senior house officers" in their later years of residency, but the term is more variable in its American than British usage.

[edit] References

• ^  Modernising Medical Careers, National Health Service page
• ^  SHO jobs crisis survey (BMA)

[edit] See also

• Junior doctor

[edit] External links

• UK medical training
• MMC home page

NHS Medical Career Grades

	Old system		New system (Modernising Medical Careers)
Year 1:	Pre-registration house officer (PRHO) - one year		Foundation House Officer - 2 years
Year 2:	Senior house officer (SHO) a minimum of two years, although often more
Year 3:			Specialty Registrar (StR) in a hospital speciality: six years	Specialty Registrar (StR) in general practice: three years
Year 4:	Specialist registrar four to six years	GP registrar- one year
Year 5:		General practitioner total time in training: 4 years
Years 6-8:				General practitioner total time in training: 5 years
Year 9:	Consultant total time in training: minimum 7-9 years		Consultant total time in training: 8 years
Optional	Training may be extended by pursuing medical research (usually two-three years), usually with clinical duties as well		Training may be extended by obtaining an Academic Clinical Fellowship for research.