ACCS Introduction

ACCS is a 2 year training course that normally follows Foundation Year and forms an element of the curricula for the CCT programmes in General (Internal) Medicine (Acute) [GIM(Acute)], Anaesthesia, Emergency Medicine and Intensive Care Medicine (ICM) training. This will be followed by further training in Emergency Medicine (the ACCS programme is the first 2 years of this curriculum), Anaesthesia or Medical specialties with an emphasis on the acute management. The components of training in ACCS, which can be taken in any order, are:

• 1 year emergency medicine + GIM(A) (usually 6 months each)
• 1 year anaesthesia + intensive care (minimum of 3 months in each)

Aims of ACCS

The aim of ACCS training is to produce multi-competent junior doctors able to recognise and manage the sick patient and who have the complementary specialty training required for the programmes in emergency medicine, acute medicine, anaesthesia and ICM.

Within the overall aim, each specialty has a specific objective for ACCS training:

• Acute Medicine: To provide training which delivers the Level I competences for the CCT in GIM (Acute) in a pre-planned and structured manner
• Emergency Medicine: To provide training that delivers the first two years of the CCT in Emergency Medicine in a pre-planned and structured manner
• Anaesthesia: To produce a cohort of trainees with more widely based experience than is available solely within the anaesthesia CCT programme and to allow those who want to obtain a joint CCT in anaesthesia and ICM to obtain the complementary specialties in a pre-planned and structured manner
• Intensive Care Medicine: To allow trainees who want to obtain a joint CCT in ICM to obtain the competences of the complementary specialties in a pre-planned and structured manner

During the ACCS programme, you must complete a portfolio of evidence in support your achievement of the curriculum. As well as work place assessments this should include a clinical log book, a record of educational, management, audit and clinical governance activities, relevant continuing professional development activities and a written record of your supervisors meetings and personal development plan. In due course it is hoped there will be common ACCS documents, however currently each speciality has individual documentation which can be found in the speciality specific home pages (see top menu).