Renal Medicine

Section 1: Information about the writer

Ahmed Attaelmanan Mohamed Ahmed – Mersey Deanery

Section 2: Scope of practice in the UK:

Managing patients with renal disease through wide range of inpatient/outpatient settings. Through this you will also get to perform procedures like:  

• Dialysis Lines (both temporary and Tunneled): This can happen in a inpatient or outpatient setting.
• Renal biopsy.
• AV fistulas (Vast majority are done by vascular surgeons)
• Wide range of research work in renal disease and interesting subjects e.g. transplant /use of immunosuppression in renal disease etc.

Section 3: Type of Training/ Route to Training

Most of the centres (>90%) offer dual CCT i.e. Nephrology + GIM (General Internal Medicine)

Some applicants will choose single CCT (Certificate of completion of training)

Sub-specialties

Type of NTN (National Training Number)

If Dual CCT (nephrology/GIM- Nephrology/ITU) then you will expect yourself to run through 5 years before achieving your CCT. The rotation will likely range from 6 months to one year rotations out of which ~3 years should be pure renal work with General medical on calls.  Again each deanery will have its own program but usually no huge differences.

A single CCT in nephrology implies 3 years of pure renal rotations with no GIM on calls (so you will miss the joy of being the medical registrar on call! )