Taster Days | Scottish Foundation School

Tasters and How to Apply

What is a Taster?

A taster is a period of time, usually two to five days, spent in a specialty in which you have not previously worked.

Its purpose is to enable the development of insight into the work of a specialty/ general practice, promote careers reflection and 'lifestyle' of a speciality.

During your Foundation training you may apply for a maximum of two Taster weeks. Tasters are available for both F1 and F2 and we would usually suggest that they are taken at any time from the end of the first post in F1 through to the end of F2.

All Tasters should be well planned and focused. In order to support these experiences foundation doctors must agree a set of aims and objectives that will be achieved during the Tasters which can be included as part of a Turas Training Portfolio. To fully benefit from Tasters, Foundation doctors should discuss their career aspirations with their Educational Supervisor and/or Foundation Programme Director.

Tasters help support foundation doctors onto the correct career path and foundation doctors are encouraged to use these days and apply using Turas Study Leave application process.

Please also see the link to the pages on the UKFPO website here.

Process Flowchart?

Link to Process Flowchart

This process must be followed even if the taster takes place during annual leave and weekly leave. This is due to insurance reasons as some locations incur "hidden" costs to NES.

How do I apply for a Taster?

The application for a Taster should take place after discussion with the foundation doctors Educational Supervisor so that the aspirations of the foundation doctor are likely to be met by the taster.

For leave to be granted, the following will be required:

After first confirming with Service that the proposed taster days can be accommodated
A Study Leave application must be completed via Turas by the foundation doctor giving at least 6-8 weeks' notice to the Service for this leave
Please ensure that you specify as part of the application the location/hospital and specialty in which the taster will be undertaken
All requests for a Taster MUST be made through the study leave applications process on Turas
Leave must only be arranged when a foundation doctor is due to be working normal days
The aims and objectives of the taster and the reasons for choosing the specialty should be detailed on the foundation Turas Training Portfolio as part of the Taster Form
Written or e-mail acceptance from the supervising Consultant for the taster should be included in the foundation doctors Turas Training Portfolio
No expenses will be given for taster leave

The Process

Step 1: The foundation doctor identifies the specialty in which they want to experience a taster

Step 2: The foundation doctor must obtain service approval from current placement that they can take the Taster in their current block

Step 3: The foundation doctor approaches the relevant Consultant and obtain written permission to spend time in their specialty, agreeing the number of days and dates

Step 4: The foundation doctor obtains approval from their current supervisor that the proposed dates are suitable for service

Step 5: The foundation doctor discusses this taster with their Educational Supervisor/Foundation Programme Director

Step 6: The foundation doctor completes a Study Leave Application via Turas which MUST include the specialty and location/hospital the taster will be undertaken

Approved: Following the taster the foundation doctor must complete the Taster Form in the Turas Portfolio - which can be linked to FPC13

Not Approved: The foundation doctor must cancel any arrangement made with the specialty Consultant and discuss with your Educational Supervisor/Foundation Programme Director why the leave has not been approved

Approval/Rejection of Request for Leave?

The foundation doctor will be informed by e-mail from their Foundation Programme Director whether their application has been approved or not through the study leave process.

What do I need to do Post-Taster?

After the taster the foundation doctor will need to provide the following:

they must reflect upon their experience and complete the Taster Form in the Turas Portfolio which can be linked FPC 13
they must consider whether their original aims and objectives were met by the taster

What is the duration of a Taster?

A Taster should be no more than five days per Taster will be allowed for this experience.

Only one Taster can be taken per block and no more than five days can be taken per specialty.

The maximum number throughout Foundation is two Tasters (N.B. not two Tasters per training year).

If your supervisor agrees, you may take both Tasters in F1 or in F2 or you may wish to take one Taster in each training year.

Where can I do a Taster?

Ideally this would take place within your current employing Board, as this would facilitate both the organisation and monitoring of such an experience.

It will be the responsibility of the foundation doctor to organise these Tasters.

The foundation doctor must obtain approval from the current supervisors that the dates for the Tasters are suitable and that there is acceptance from the supervising Consultant.

The Scottish Foundation School will only approve tasters within your current home region of training unless the experience cannot be provided locally e.g. remote and rural GP.

The Foundation School will not approve Tasters abroad or out-with Scotland.

East region Taster Contacts

Specialty Contacts

All departments within Ninewells Hospital unless otherwise stated.

Specialty	Training Programme Director
Acute (Internal) Medicine	Dr Achyut Valluri
Anaesthetics	Dr Cameron Weir
Cardiology	Dr Benjamin Szwejkowski
Clinical Radiology	Dr Shilpi Pal
Core Psychiatry	Dr Laura Sutherland
Dermatology	Dr Sharizan Adbul-Ghaffar
Diagnostic Neuropathology	Professor Colin Smith
Emergency Medicine	Dr Andy Paterson
Endocrinology and Diabetes	Dr Priya George
Gastroenterology	Dr Max Groome
General (Internal) Medicine	Dr Paul Cadden
General Practice	TBC
General Psychiatry	Dr Judith English
General Surgery	Mr Alastair Moses
Geriatric Medicine	Dr John Harper
Haematology	Dr Sudhir Tauro
Histopathology	Dr Christina Harper
Internal Medical Training (IMT)	Dr Suzy Silburn
Intensive Care Medicine	Dr Judith Joss
Obstetrics and Gynaecology	Dr Caithlin Neill
Ophthalmology	Dr Caroline Cobb
Otolaryngology	Mr Richard Adamson
Paediatrics	Dr Alice Jollands
Plastic Surgery	Dr Stuart Waterston
Public Health	Dr Jane Bray
Renal Medicine	Dr Graham Stewart
Respiratory Medicine	Dr Peter Williamson
Rheumatology	Dr Suzy Silburn
Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery	Mr Simon Johnson

Alternative contact details for assistance with arranging Tasters in the East Region.

Specialty

Specialty Lead for Foundation

General Surgery

HDU

Neurology

Urology

Dermatology

General Medicine

Ophthalmology

Dr Alyson Bryden

TBC

Dr Helen Murgatroyd

Geriatric Medicine (Royal Victoria Hospital)

Palliative Medicine (Cornhill, Perth)

Palliative Medicine (Roxburgh House, Dundee)

Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery

Dr Carolyn Leslie

Dr Abi Walton

Dr Elinor Brabin

Mr Doug Robinson

General Surgery (Perth Royal Infirmary)

Paediatrics

Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery (Perth Royal Infirmary)

Mr John Scollay

Dr Shetty Bhushan

Mr Simon Thomas

Emergency Medicine

General Practice

Haematology

Oncology

Psychiatry

Dr Andy Paterson

Dr Simon Austin

TBC

Dr Mhairi Hepburn

General Medicine (Perth Royal Infirmary)

Maxillofacial Surgery

Neurosurgery

Otolaryngology

Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Plastic Surgery

Dr Priya Nair

Mr Doug Kennedy

Mr Kismet Hossain-Ibrahim

Mrs Ceilidh Kennedy

Dr Vimala Nellore

Mr Matthew Hough

North region Taster Contacts

Specialty Contacts

NHS Grampian

All departments within Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI) unless otherwise stated.

Department	Lead Contact
Acute Medicine	Dr Steven Close
Anaesthetics	Dr Calum McDonald
Cardiology	Dr Andrew Stewart
Chemical Pathology	Dr Kevin Deans
Community Sexual and Reproductive Health	Dr Dianna Reed
Critical Care	Dr Stephen Friar
Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine	Dr Christopher Skinner
Emergency Medicine	Dr Innes Crawford
Endocrinology and Diabetes	Dr Utkarsh Kulkarni
Gastroenterology	Dr Lindsay McLeman
General Medicine	Dr Robert Laing
General Medicine, Dr Gray’s, Elgin	Dr Louise Millar
General Psychiatry, Royal Cornhill Hospital, Aberdeen	Dr Leah Drever
General Practice	North Foundation Admin Team
General Surgery	Dr Craig Parnaby
Geriatric Medicine and Community Geriatric Medicine	Dr Clare Bostock
Haematology	Dr Dominic Culligan
Histopathology	Dr Louise Smith
Infectious Diseases	Dr Robert Laing
Maxillofacial Surgery	Mr Terrance Lowe
Neurology	Dr Elizabeth Visser
Neurosurgery	Mr Mohit Arora
Obstetrics and Gynaecology	Dr Sharon Rajkumar
Oncology	Dr Ann-Maree Kennedy
Ophthalmology	Dr Rosalind Stewart
Otolaryngology	Dr Vamsidhar Vallamkondu
Paediatrics, Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital	Mr Yatin Patel
Palliative Medicine, Roxburghe House, Aberdeen	Dr Lucy Cogdell
Plastic Surgery	Mr Alain Curnier
Public Health	Dr Phil Mackie
Renal Medicine	Dr Carol Brunton
Respiratory Medicine	Dr David Miller
Stroke Medicine	Dr Sneh Banik
Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, Woodend Hospital, Aberdeen	Mr Santosh Baliga & Ms Clare Miller
Urology	Dr Justine Royle
Vascular Surgery	Mr Michael Sharp

NHS Highland

Department	Lead Contact
Anaesthetics	Dr Graeme Brown
Community Sexual and Reproductive Health	Dr Waheed Khan
Emergency Medicine	Dr Nicola MacInnes
General Practice	North Administration Team
Intensive Care Medicine	Dr Marian Mackinnon
Lab specialties	Dr Vanda Plecko
Obstetrics and Gynaecology	Dr Rajesh Annappa
Occupational Medicine	Dr Mark Hilditch
Ophthalmology	Dr Shona Macleod
Otolaryngology	Mr Angus Cain
Paediatrics	Dr Alan Webb
Pathology	Dr Grant Stenhouse
Psychiatry	Dr Neil NcNamara
Public Health	Dr Tim Allison
Radiology	Dr Jason Walker
Remote and Rural General Practice	North Administration Team
Remote and Rural Hospital Practice	Dr Duncan Scott or Marina Simpson (Administrator)

South-East region Taster Contacts

Specialty Contacts

Acute Internal Medicine	Dr Lynn McCallum
Anaesthetics	Dr Linzi Peacock
Cardiology	Dr Christopher Lang
Cardiothoracic Surgery	Mr John Butler
Clinical Pharmacology	Dr David Webb
Clinical Radiology	Dr Judith Anderson
Core Anaesthetics	Dr Linzi Peacock
Internal Medicine Training (IMT)	Dr Clive Goddard/Dr Kerri Baker
Core Psychiatry	Dr Norman Nuttall
Dermatology	Dr Caroline Murray/Dr Chandralekha Bertram
Emergency Medicine	Dr. Craig Davidson
Endocrinology and Diabetes Mellitus	Dr Anna Dover
Gastroenterology	Dr Carol Blair
General Psychiatry	Dr Fiona Clunie
General Surgery	Mr Brian Mander
Geriatric Medicine	Dr Susan Pound
Haematology	Dr Fiona Scott
Histopathology	Dr Marie Mathers
Intensive Care Medicine	Dr Neil Young
Medical Microbiology	Dr Pota Kalima
Medical Ophthalmology	Dr Graeme Williams
Medical Virology	Dr Eleri Wilson-Davies
Obstetrics and Gynaecology	Dr Paul Mills
Occupational Medicine	Dr Kashif Ali
Old Age Psychiatry	Dr Stuart Ritchie
Otolaryngology	Mr Richard Adamson
Ophthalmology	Mr Pankaj Agarwal
Paediatrics	Dr Laura Jones/Dr Ailsa McLellan
Plastic Surgery	Mr Stuart Waterston
Psychiatry of Learning Disability	Dr John Russell
Renal Medicine	Dr Paddy Gibson
Respiratory Medicine	Dr Tracey Bradshaw
Rheumatology	Dr Philip Riches
Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery	Mr Samuel Molyneux
Core Surgical Training	Mr Satheesh Yalamarthi
Vascular Surgery	Mr Stuart Suttie
Genitourinary medicine (GUM)	imali.fernando@nhs.scot
Sexual and Reproductive Health	sarah.millar@nhs.scot

If your GP taster application is approved, the Foundation team will allocate you a GP Practice to undertake your taster session.

West region Taster Contacts

Specialty Contacts

For information on Tasters in specialties in the West Region not listed in the tables below, please contact your Consortia Lead Administrator:

South Consortium: Programmes W01 - W08

Consortia Lead Administrator: Mary Smith

North & East Consortium: Programmes W09 - W16

Consortia Lead Administrator: Tracy Boue or Jean Elliott

West Consortium: Programmes W17 - W24

Consortia Lead Administrator: Mary Smith

Name	Speciality	Email address	Location
Colin Pow	Anaesthetics	colin.pow@aapct.scot.nhs.uk	Crosshouse
Barbara Stanley	Oncology	Barbara.stanley@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	Beatson
David Yorston	Ophthalmology	David.Yorston@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	GGH
Karen Hogg	Cardiology	Karen.hogg@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	GRI
Shona Jenkins	Cardiology	Shona.jenkins@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	GRI
Louise Melia	ENT	louise.melia@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	GRI
Kate Hughes	Diabetes/Endocrinology	Kate.hughes2@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	GRI
Gemma Currie	Diabetes/Endocrinology	Gemma.currie@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	GRI
Kathryn Puxty	Intensive Care	Kathryn.Puxty@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	GRI
Jennifer Cuthill	Intensive Care	Jennifer.Cuthill@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	GRI
Carol Craig	Surgery	Carol.craig@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	GRI
Mary Brown	Urology	Mary.brown3@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	GRI
Devin Chetty	Emergency Medicine	devin.chetty@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	GRI
Kirsty Colquhoun	Geriatric Medicine	Kirsty.colquhoun@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	GRI
Adam Capek	Anaesthetics	Adam.Capek@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	GRI
Laura McGregor	Rheumatology	Laura.mcgregor@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	GRI
Gemma McGivern	Radiology	Gemma.mcgivern@nhs.scot	GRI
Rachael Bradnock	Obstetrics and Gynaecology	rachael.bradnock@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	GRI
Karen Meadley	Obstetrics and Gynaecology	Karen.meadley@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	GRI
Laura Thomson	Radiology	Laura.thomson4@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	GRI
Ravi Jamdar	Acute Medicine	Ravi.jamdar@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	GRI
John Telfer	Plastic Surgery	John.Telfer@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	GRI
Libby Ferguson	Palliative care	Libby.Ferguson@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	GRI/Hospice
Krishna Dani	Neurology	Krishna.Dani@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	GRI/QEUH
Mark McAuley	General Practice	mark.mcauley2@nhs.scot	Kirkintilloch
Kate Stevens	Renal Medicine	Kate.Stevens@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	QEUH
Erica Peters	Infection Diseases	Erica.Peters@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	QEUH
Rebecca Campbell	Public Health	rebecca.campbell7@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	QEUH
Richard Appleton	Critical Care	richard.appleton@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	QEUH
Louise Clark	ENT	Louise.Clark@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	QEUH
Georgios Kontorinis	ENT	Georgios.Kontorinis@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	QEUH
Alisdair McConachie	Infection Diseases	Alisdair.macconnachie@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	QUEH
Edgar Brincatt	Paediatric ICU	Edgar.Brincat@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	RHC
Laura McLaren	Paediatrics	Laura.Mclaren@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	RHC
West Glasgow: Laura Somerville East Glasgow: Sarah Laraway North Glasgow: James Houston Renfrewshire: Lesley McDonald	Community Paediatrics	Laura.Somerville@ggc.scot.nhs.uk sarah.laraway@ggc.scot.nhs.uk alison.maccorquodale@nhs.scot /ggc.cpadmin@nhs.scot Lesley.McDonald3@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	The West Centre, Glasgow William Street Clinic, Glasgow Child Health, Lynnside, Oban LAC (Looked After Children) Health Team / Panda Centre, Renfrew
Pauline O’Neill	Anaesthetics	Pauline.oneill@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	RAH
Pauline O’Neill	Intensive Care	Pauline.oneill@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	RAH
Erica Campbell	Psychiatry	Erica.campbell@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	Stobhill
Gareth McGuigan	Psychiatry	Gareth.mcguigan@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	Stobhill
Colin Malcolm	Obstetrics and Gynaecology	Colin.malcolm@ggc.scot.nhs.uk	Wishaw
Cassandra Ferguson	Anaesthetics	Cassandra.Ferguson@nhs.scot	Forth Valley Royal Hospital
Yvonne McFarlane	Community Sexual and Reproductive Health	ggc.sandyford.training@nhs.scot	Sandyford
Yvonne McFarlane	Genitourinary medicine	ggc.sandyford.training@nhs.scot	Sandyford

This page was last updated on: 18.09.2025 at 12.05