Education and Training
Assessment

JRCPTB

The Specialist  Certificate Examination (SCE) is one of a range of compulsory assessments for Specialty Trainees(StRs) enrolling at/after 1 st August 2007 . Trainees who have enrolled prior to this date (SpRs) are not obliged to take the examination but can do so if they so wish.

The SCE was developed as a partnership arrangement between the Federation of the Royal Colleges and the specialist societies, utilising the expertise of the MRCP (UK) Office to develop the examinations.

Geriatric Medicine held their first examination in March 2009. All 15 candidates who sat the exam passed. The 2010 examination will take place on 24th March

The examinations are taken on-line in a number of centres across the UK using the agency that delivers the Driving Theory Test for the DVLA (special arrangements for candidates with genuine medical reason for being unable to sit at a computer). Examinations consist of two papers taken on the same day, each lasting three hours and consisting of 100 best- of- five questions.

UK trainees will be entitled to sit the Speciality Certificate Examination once they have passed their MRCP(UK). The qualification for candidates who pass   will be a Certificate in Geriatric Medicine with no explicit post-nominal or title. However only those with a Certificate in Geriatric Medicine who are recommended to PMETB by the JRCPTB for a CCT will be entitled to apply for MRCP(Geriatric Medicine). There will be no additional fee or hurdle for this. This option will not be available to doctors who undertake KBA outside CCT programmes.

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Workplace based assessments: In addition to KBA Specialty Registrars (StRs) will be expected to undertake workplace based assessments carried out by supervisors while they are on the job.  These are linked to each component of the curriculum and are detailed on the JRCPTB website (Recia please put the link in here to the ARCP Decision Grid and Assessment Plan which are available here.

StRs will be expected to complete the required number of assessments including Mini-CEX, CbD, ACAT, PS, MSF, Audit and Teaching Assessment tools.  The results of these plus an educational supervisors report and reports of courses attended, qualifications achieved, publications and other achievements combined with evidence of reflective practice will be reviewed at the annual review of competence progression (ARCP) by the specialty deanery assessment committee.

For SpRs only an MSF and 4 Mini-CEXs are expected at the penultimate year assessment (PYA) which all trainees will be expected to attend which will include an external representative on the assessment panel.  This will take place usually 12-18 months prior to the expected CCT date.

Some of the assessment tools are still being validated for registrars but examples can be found here. 

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JRCPTB Glossary of terms

A quick overview of the 'Gold Guide' (designed for those involved in organising specialty training (MSWord) - our thanks to Kirstin Barnett for her work on this document