Chemical pathology
This section of the website is currently for chemical pathology trainees who start specialty training from August 2021.
Chemical pathology curriculum 2021
The new 2021 curricula will be assessed by high level outcomes, which are included in the form of capabilities in practice (CiPs). CiPs describe the professional tasks or work within the scope of postgraduate pathology training. They are based on the format of entrustable professional activities, which are a method of using the professional judgement of appropriately trained assessors as a key aspect of the validity of assessment and a defensible way of forming global judgements of professional performance.
Chemical pathology syllabus
This syllabus is an adjunct to the curriculum and is to guide aspects of learning expected to be covered during chemical pathology.
Workplace-based assessments
Trainees will be expected to undertake supervised learning events (SLEs) throughout their specialty training in chemical pathology. Further information on the SLEs and assessment programme can be found in the 2021 chemical pathology curriculum.
Annual review of competence progression decision aids
Transitional arrangement webinar
All current trainees not starting their specialty training in August/September 2021 will remain on their current curriculum until after the spring 2022 annual review of competence progression (ARCPs). Existing trainees will be transferred to the new curriculum in the spring after their ARCPs.
Please see below the video and slides from the 'Transitional arrangement' webinar held on 27 April 2022.
Transitional arrangements FAQs
Who fills out the gap analysis form? Is it the educational supervisor, trainee or training programme director? And is it to be done before or after the summer annual review of competence progression?
The form appears under the supervision section of the portfolio, and this can be completed by the educational supervisor or the trainee. It can also be delegated to the training programme director if that is more appropriate.
There is guidance on transition and completing the gap analysis on the JRCPTB website here and the RCPath website via this link.
The gap analysis will usually take place at the start of the new training year. Some deaneries were advised to do this before the annual review of competence progression if it does mean making any changes to the next year’s training programmes.
If a trainee is moving to ST5 in November 2023, does the trainee stay in the old curriculum in ST4, and transition to the new curriculum at the ARCP in November 2023?
We recommend the transfer takes place at the start of the training year. If a trainee doctor rotates in October/November, then an interim annual review of competence progression might need to be arranged as all trainees need to be transferred by 31 August 2023. We would recommend you discuss your training with your educational supervisor.
For those who are LTFT, will we transfer onto the same training year but on the new curriculum? Or will a date be set for the point we were moved to the next training year on the new curriculum?
We recommend the transfer takes place at the start of the training year where possible. For those who are part way through the training year, then it is recommended that you discuss this further with your educational supervisor who will complete the gap analysis.
If you are not due to have an annual review of competence progression (ARCP) before August 2023, then you would transfer part way through the training year, or an interim ARCP could be done at the end of the training year to facilitate transition.
Will the links from the old curriculum be migrated across?
The links do not automatically transfer from the previous to the new curriculum, but there will be a record of all the previous links and ratings to the previous version of the curriculum in the ePortfolio for reference.
The key thing is that trainees will not be required to relink evidence to the new curriculum and the educational supervisor can view and comment on the previous curriculum when assessing the trainees’ entrustment levels against the capabilities in practice.
Are infectious diseases/medical microbiology trainees expected to do an acute unselected take as HST?
If you are not dual training in internal medicine, there is no curriculum requirement for you to do an unselected take. Therefore, if you are infectious diseases/medical microbiology or medical virology trainee, there is no educational/curriculum requirement for you to do an unselected take.
Will the penultimate year assessments held this summer potentially before the new curriculum is introduced be held against the new curriculum?
If a trainee is having a penultimate year assessment (PYA)/penultimate year review (PYR), then they should be going into their final year of training and, therefore, are not required to transfer to the new curriculum. Trainees should discuss this locally with their deanery and educational supervisor.
If a trainee is out of programme and do not currently have access to their ePortfolio, how do we go about doing the gap analysis?
The gap analysis will be undertaken when the trainee returns from out of programme.
When will the new curriculum be uploaded to the ePortfolio?
They will be added to trainees’ accounts at the start of the training year for those who have transferred.
We recommend, for the purpose of the gap analysis (if it is to happen before the training year starts), looking at the relevant curriculum documents on the JRCTB and RCPath websites.
Will a trainee working at 80% less than full time be able to progress at the same rate as a full-time trainee? To ensure SIPS are achieved.
Yes, as this is a capability-based curriculum.
Is there a change to the medical microbiology curriculum as well?
Yes, all infection specialty curricula have been updated to include high level learning outcomes (capabilities in practice) and to be mapped to the generic professional capabilities (GPC) framework.
Not in the final year of training, less than full time, 18 months to go, so will be more than a year – do I still have to transfer to the new curriculum?
Yes, trainees should transfer unless they are in their final year of training or if they have been given postgraduate dean exemption. A trainee whose Certificate of Completion of Training date is after August 2023 – unless it is very close to this date – will have to transfer to the new curriculum. This is in line with General Medical Council policy allowing a 2-year window for transition following the introduction of a new curriculum.