In a pioneering approach by the RCPCH, the new curriculum has been put together by more than 180 consultants, 40 trainees, 170 children and young people and 30 parent and carers from across the UK.
RCPCH Progress, which will be implemented from August 2018, is:
- Easy to use
- Moves away from a tick-box exercise that determines whether or not a trainee can identify symptoms, and towards a model that means paediatricians are equipped to deliver effective all-round care
- Will ensure that trainees are truly consultant-ready when they finish their training
- Designed to effectively support the paediatricians of the future
- Lays the foundations for implementing the recommendations of the UK Shape of Training Steering Group
Chair of the RCPCH Trainees Committee, Dr Ollie Bevington, said:
‘I’m really excited about the introduction of the new RCPCH curriculum and the positive impact it will have on Paediatric training in the UK. This has been a massive project, which has seen input from a huge number of both trainees and trainers, as well as Children and Young People to ensure that it meets the needs of all involved. In conjunction with the continued development of ePortfolio, the new streamlined and intuitive curriculum will allow trainees to be not only flexible but also innovative in how they complete assessments and demonstrate excellence.’
The GMC unveiled new standards – to help make postgraduate training more flexible for doctors – in May this year, and medical royal colleges and faculties are updating all existing curricula with a target to complete the process by 2020.
Incorporating the GMC’s Generic Professional Capabilities for all doctors, the RCPCH Progress will better equip paediatricians to meet the needs of a modern National Health Service. The updated RCPCH curriculum will now be piloted in parts of the UK and, subject to the success of the pilot, is expected to be adopted by trainees from September 2018.
Dr Colin Melville, the GMC’s Director of Education and Standards, welcomed RCPCH Progress, saying:
"Our new standards, Excellence by design, supports greater flexibility in postgraduate training; requiring curricula to be more responsive to patient and health service needs.
"We’re delighted to approve the RCPCH curriculum against those standards. It is testament to the dedication and hard work of the many people involved in the process and their commitment to delivering a new approach to postgraduate training in paediatrics and child health. This curriculum is the first step towards a new training pathway for 2020 and the college should feel very proud of the quality they have achieved."
Dr David Evans, Vice President for Training and Assessment at the RCPCH, said:
"RCPCH Progress is the culmination of an enormous collaborative effort and I would like to thank the GMC and all clinicians, staff, parents and children, who have helped reform our curriculum. The new curriculum aims to promote more integrated learning and assessment, with the focus on helping trainees gain and demonstrate capabilities that they require for providing high quality patient care, both during training and beyond. Importantly, it also lays the foundation for our intended training reforms, developed in response to Shape of Training, which aim to deliver paediatric training pathways that are more responsive to needs of patients, trainees and employers."
Ends.
For further information on RCPCH Progress, see: /progress
For further comment from the RCPCH, please contact:
Lauren Snaith lauren.snaith@rcpch.ac.uk / 0207 092 6067