RCPCH and VSO Fellowship programme
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and VSO Fellowship scheme offers paediatricians in specialist training one-year opportunities to improve child health in developing countries.
While you share your skills to improve outcomes for some of the poorest children in the world, the personal and professional development you gain is supported by the RCPCH.
What could I do?
You'll combine teaching, training and management with clinical work, supporting colleagues to strengthen paediatric services in a rural, district, or teaching hospital.
You could be working in countries like Malawi, Sierra Leone or Cambodia.
As a Fellow, you'll encounter new pathology, review care provision and assess learning needs, and work to improve services in a low resource environment. This means you'll gain unique opportunities to enhance your managerial and teaching skills, as well as develop your independent clinical practice.
Watch Dr Olly Jefferis talk about his time as a Fellow in Malawi.
How does it work?
As a RCPCH/VSO fellow, you’ll have the mentorship of a UK paediatrician and in-country senior doctor, and structured support to evidence the clinical, teaching and management experience you gain.
Fellowships are out of programme experience, undertaken with RCPCH support. For more advice on out of programme experience, please see the BMA’s guidance for UK doctors on taking time to work overseas, ‘Broadening Your Horizons’.
Who can take part?
UK paediatricians in ST3 or up, with MRCPCH, can spend a year with VSO as out of programme experience, with RCPCH endorsement and support.
Feedback from previous Fellows is that the best time to go is post-MRCPCH, with one-two years’ registrar or middle grade experience. At this point trainees are in a position to continue building on Level 2 competences, and offer wider managerial, teaching, and clinical skills. As it can take 12 months from applying to departing on your Fellowship, trainees can apply a year in advance.
What next?
If you could go overseas within the next 12 months, simply apply to VSO and state you’d like to take part in the Fellowship scheme.
