Curricula pilot begins

Last week was a landmark for the College’s psychiatric training, as we launched a pilot roll-out of our new curricula for 300 CT1 and ST4 new starter trainees.  

The General Medical Council (GMC) endorsed the pilot, which will give the College invaluable feedback on the curricula and on our implementation plans and systems. 

By listening to the views of all stakeholders, especially trainees and trainers, we can reflect, learn and enhance our plans, and introduce the new curricula for everyone else as seamlessly as possible in August. 

Our Portfolio Online platform has been changed to reflect the introduction of new placement-specific personal development plans, and we have run train the trainer sessions to bring those trainers impacted by these changes up to speed.  

New resources are being added all the time to the curricula implementation hub, including: 

  • the new core, specialty and sub-specialty curricula  
  • the Silver Guide (the definitive source of information for core and specialty training and the new home for the guidance that used to preface each of the previous curricula)
  • an example placement-specific personal development plan 
  • details of the transition arrangements for all trainees / CESR 
  • FAQs
  • weekly drop-in sessions – no need to book, just come along
  • webinars for trainers and trainees, running on a regular basis
  • resources to explain the new features of the revised curricula. 

We’re excited by the flexibility the new curricula will bring to training, driven by the placement specific personal development plans that will underpin the achievement of the key capabilities for each of the nine high-level outcomes. 

All that was good about our previous psychiatry training has been kept, while concentrating the rest to be much more relevant and more focussed.  

This is entirely in line with the GMC’s Excellence by design approach, ensuring that patient safety is paramount.  

Dr John Russell, Associate Dean for Curricula, said: 

"We embarked on this work in 2018 and it is enormously satisfying to see it come to fruition now. Huge thanks are due to all those (acknowledged in the Silver Guide) who have worked so hard to develop this new framework which we genuinely believe will enhance psychiatry training and deliver much needed, highly capable consultants." 

Dr Adrian James, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: 

"This has been a mammoth task and John has done a fantastic job in co-creating these curricula with the SAC and sub-specialty chairs and members and help from our trainee, parents and carers, racial equality and exams representatives. We owe him, and them, a huge debt of gratitude for all of their time and contributions."
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