ACCS Trainees' Guide

Parent speciality

The speciality for which you will were appointed to and will continue in following the ACCS programme. Currently this is emergency medicine, anaesthesia or acute / general medicine. Your parent speciality will determine the portfolio you use as well as your required formal examinations and exit requirements, however, the initial two years of ACCS training will otherwise be independent of parent speciality.

Educational Supervisor

Your educational supervisor is a consultant from within your current speciality. The supervisor’s role is to help the trainee to plan their training and reach personal and institutional objectives and to oversee your appraisals and assessments. You must complete an educational agreement with your supervisor within two weeks of the start of each placement in which the training goals of the module are clearly established. This agreement forms the basis of subsequent reviews. You should be meeting your supervisor regularly and recording formal appraisals in your portfolio.

College Tutor

Your college tutor will be from the parent speciality for which you will receive your National Training Number (NTN).

Speciality Training Committee (STC)

Within each deanery is a Speciality Training Committee responsible for ensuring training standards and delivering the curriculum for their speciality. The STC is lead by the STC Chair (or Programme Director) and have overall responsibility for conducting the ARCPs and presenting the final evidence of completion of competencies to the relevant colleges.

Assessments

Knowledge assessments in the form of the FRCA Primary MCQ's for Anaesthesia trainees, MRCP Part 1 for Medical trainees and MCEM Part A for Emergency Medicine trainees must be completed before progression from ACCS to the next stage of training. Workplace assessments (CbD's, mini-CEXs etc) need to be completed in accordance to the specific module you are undertaking (see appropriate section). There are also specific competency assessments for the modules in anaesthesia and intensive care medicine which can be found in the relevant sections.

Teaching

You are expected to attend the formal speciality specific teaching sessions for the module you are currently undertaking though local requirements may vary nationwide.

Portfolio and logbooks

During ACCS training a portfolio must be kept to document progress and completion of competencies as well as extra-curricular activities. A sample copy of the expected portfolios and logbooks are in Appendix H of the ACCS Manual. There are also specific log books to be kept during various modules, see specific speciality pages.

ARCP

The “Annual Review of Competence Progression” (ARCP) will assess your progress through ACCS and occurs once a year (though maybe more frequently for acute medical trainees in certain deaneries in accordance with CMT requirements). It is the process whereby all assessments of a trainee’s knowledge, skills and attitudes throughout the year come together for review at Deanery level to be deemed satisfactory or otherwise as an entirety. The panel will be made up of representatives from your parent speciality as well as representatives from the complementary training modules you have completed. The STC works with the Postgraduate Deans in conducting the ARCP to provide a composite picture of the trainee’s achievements, shortcomings and consequent future training needs. A satisfactory outcome is needed in order for you to progress to the subsequent year of training. You will be expected to produce your portfolio of evidence along with any specific deanery requirements. The ARCP maybe either face-to-face or conducted by the panel alone. In exceptional circumstances it may be appropriate to initiate an ARCP before a year has elapsed. Such a process will only be initiated at the request of a senior trainer and with the agreement of the STC Chair or his deputy.

Outstanding issues

The first point of contact for information concerning an individual’s training is this document in conjunction with the GIM (Acute), Anaesthesia, Emergency Medicine or Intensive Care Medicine CCT curricula. Most questions can be answered by reference to these documents. The next point of contact is your Educational Supervisor or the College Tutor of the department in which you are training. If the College Tutor is unable to give the necessary guidance then the appropriate Regional Advisor or Programme Director should be asked for advice. Only if the College Tutor or Regional Advisor cannot help should a trainee contact the ICACCST for advice because inevitably it will have no knowledge of the trainee’s particular circumstances.

Currently a Trainees Guide for the ACCS programme is being constructed, though is not yet available.