Link to ACCS Website
"Getting your head around the ACCS programme is not easy, and is not helped by the differences between portfolios.
As a summary of what is expected during your CT2 year you might find this checklist useful. Further details can be found below..."
WPBAs - How many and which forms to use
During your critical care attachment, you need to be assessed with a minimum of 4xCBD, 6xDOPs and 3xCEX. For EM trainees, ICM versions of each of these assessments are available on your portfolio. On the anaesthesia portfolio there is an ICM version of the CEX, but you should use the standard CBD and DOPs forms. Unfortunately on the RCP portfolio there is nothing, so rather than using the generic RCP forms you would be better off using the ICM specific paper forms available here, which should be uploaded to your personal library.
Your WPBAs should be targeted towards the 11 ICM competencies, all of which you need at least one item of evidence for, and then towards any other gaps you have in your portfolio (see below).
You must also send an MSF during your critical care attachment. The MSF must include a minimum of 12 people, 50% of whom should be doctors with a range of seniority.
Guidance for ACCS trainers published in November 2016 clarified the confusion regarding WBA documentation stating that "WBAs including MSFs differ slightly between specialties, and should be completed using the paperwork specific to the specialty being assessed, not the parent specialty."
Your WPBAs should be targeted towards the 11 ICM competencies, all of which you need at least one item of evidence for, and then towards any other gaps you have in your portfolio (see below).
You must also send an MSF during your critical care attachment. The MSF must include a minimum of 12 people, 50% of whom should be doctors with a range of seniority.
Guidance for ACCS trainers published in November 2016 clarified the confusion regarding WBA documentation stating that "WBAs including MSFs differ slightly between specialties, and should be completed using the paperwork specific to the specialty being assessed, not the parent specialty."
Educational Supervision and Consultant Feedback
You will have a named consultant intensivist as supervisor for your critical care block. You must change the name of the supervisor on your portfolio to that person, otherwise they won't be able to record your meetings and view your evidence. As a minimum you will meet with your supervisor at the beginning and end of your attachment, but a formal midway meeting is also highly recommended.
For ACCS anaesthesia trainees, your initial meeting should be recorded on an ES1 form. (regardless of when you start in critical care). A midway meeting is highly recommended to make sure you're on track with paperwork etc. - use an ES2 form. Your end of block meeting should be recorded on an interim progress report form. These forms should be uploaded to your personal library. If you have an ARCP within 6 months of the end of your block you should use the ESSR instead of the IPRF for your final meeting, which will be generated by the e-portfolio. Once you have had a successful final meeting with your ES you need to arrange a meeting with theFaculty Tutor so that you can have your 'completion of unit of ICM training' form signed off for basic anaesthesia ICM.
For ACCS AM trainees, your initial meeting should be recorded using an 'induction appraisal' form. Your final meeting should be recorded using the 'educational supervisor report' form. Any interim meetings can be recorded on a 'mid-point review' form.
ACCS EM trainees should use an 'educational meeting' form for everything but the last meeting, which should be recorded on a 'structured trainers report' form.
You will receive written consultant feedback towards the end of your block - this should be discussed with your educational supervisor and uploaded to your personal library.
For ACCS anaesthesia trainees, your initial meeting should be recorded on an ES1 form. (regardless of when you start in critical care). A midway meeting is highly recommended to make sure you're on track with paperwork etc. - use an ES2 form. Your end of block meeting should be recorded on an interim progress report form. These forms should be uploaded to your personal library. If you have an ARCP within 6 months of the end of your block you should use the ESSR instead of the IPRF for your final meeting, which will be generated by the e-portfolio. Once you have had a successful final meeting with your ES you need to arrange a meeting with the
For ACCS AM trainees, your initial meeting should be recorded using an 'induction appraisal' form. Your final meeting should be recorded using the 'educational supervisor report' form. Any interim meetings can be recorded on a 'mid-point review' form.
ACCS EM trainees should use an 'educational meeting' form for everything but the last meeting, which should be recorded on a 'structured trainers report' form.
You will receive written consultant feedback towards the end of your block - this should be discussed with your educational supervisor and uploaded to your personal library.
Other requirements and tips
All ACCS trainees need to keep an ICM logbook. I would recommend using the logbook available on this website's homepage.
HENE trainees also need to complete a 'training for transfer' course, of which we run a few. For details and to arrange a place, contact Jan Malone at the North Tyneside office of the NoECCN.
I cannot recommend strongly enough that you should use folders in your personal library. Before you do anything else, create a folder for your critical care block, and put everything inside it. Within that folder, you may wish to use subfolders (meetings, WPBA, audit etc.).
You need to complete an audit or quality improvement project during CT2. There are plenty of opportunities to do this during your time in critical care, and the person to speak to is Dr Laura O'Connor.
By the end of your CT2 year you will need to have at least one item of evidence for:
HENE trainees also need to complete a 'training for transfer' course, of which we run a few. For details and to arrange a place, contact Jan Malone at the North Tyneside office of the NoECCN.
I cannot recommend strongly enough that you should use folders in your personal library. Before you do anything else, create a folder for your critical care block, and put everything inside it. Within that folder, you may wish to use subfolders (meetings, WPBA, audit etc.).
You need to complete an audit or quality improvement project during CT2. There are plenty of opportunities to do this during your time in critical care, and the person to speak to is Dr Laura O'Connor.
By the end of your CT2 year you will need to have at least one item of evidence for:
- All 6 major presentations (which need to be assessed by a consultant)
- Two must be completed in the Emergency Medicine placement and must be summatively assessed using the Mini-CEX descriptor tool or a pass/fail CbD (see Curriculum pages 222-228). Summative tools are available for Major trauma, Shock, Altered level of consciousness and Sepsis.
- Two should be assessed in the Acute Medicine placement and the other two can be done in any of the modules but it is recommended that Septic Patient should be signed off in the Intensive Care Medicine placement. The knowledge, skills and behaviours to be achieved for each presentation are listed in the curriculum.
- 12 (50%) of the common competencies at Level 2 competence or above.
- 38 Acute Presentations (AP) which need to be signed off by the end of the second year of ACCS. These are generally most applicable to AM and EM and whilst a minimum of 10 in AM and 10 in EM should be signed off, trainees should be strongly encouraged to complete them all during those placements. There are 5 APs that require the trainee to complete specific summative WBAs in the EM attachment. Up to 5 APs can be covered by a single ACAT in either EM or AM. The knowledge, skills and behaviours to be achieved for each presentation are listed in the curriculum.
- There is a list of 44 Practical Procedures in the ACCS Curriculum. 39 out of 44 (ideally all) are expected to be completed by the end of the second year, and all by the end of the third year. 17 are associated with the Anaesthetic Initial Assessment of Competence, and 11 are associated with ICM training.
Additional Requirements for HENE Trainees
The School of Acute Specialties at HENE have produced this document to help you remain organised as you move between specialties and posts and chart your progress. Please don't think of it as a portfolio replacement - it is designed to complement the portfolio and to make your progress more transparent. You might need to put more detail in some sections than others depending on your base specialty, and some people may find it more useful than others. Do with it what you will.
Additional Requirements for ACCS Anaesthesia Trainees
You face the biggest task as you need to do all of the above PLUS everything required of an anaesthesia trainee (detailed here). In this region you have 3 not 6 months to do it. For ARCP you'll also need to complete the NSAICM 'anaesthesia ARCP' form. You will need to be organised and plan your learning well. Anything you can use to achieve multiple requirements will be in your interests.
You also need to register with the RCOA and begin using the RCOA e-portfolio. In order to have everything in for your ARCP, you must do your ICM block in the first 9 months of your CT2 year.
It is possible, but you will need to be extremely organised, and focused from the start. Good luck!
You also need to register with the RCOA and begin using the RCOA e-portfolio. In order to have everything in for your ARCP, you must do your ICM block in the first 9 months of your CT2 year.
It is possible, but you will need to be extremely organised, and focused from the start. Good luck!