Passing the ARCP

Medical trainees are required to maintain a portfolio which provides physical evidence that the trainee has met the competencies required by competency-based curriculum. The portfolio must demonstrate development over time, abilities and achievements and is a useful record of learning and reflection that also contains details of all a trainee's workplace-based assessments. This is presented as part of the Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP), which each trainee must pass in order to move up to the next year of training. It is accepted that the portfolio, and ultimately the ARCP, requires a huge amount of work by the trainee in terms of time, effort and planning and it can be a source of anxiety and uncertainty for many trainees. One of the difficulties is that there is no 'right' way to demonstrate competence, or to produce the portfolio. This book offers clear and simple guidance, with worked practical examples, aimed at aiding trainees' learning and passing of the ARCP. It begins by explaining the background of the present approach to psychiatric training, and how the portfolio fits into this. Lessons learnt following the first years of speciality training and the ARCP process are given and include perspectives from training, administration and the ARCP panel. The Head of a School of Psychiatry and the Medical Education Manager from a Deanery describe how they use the information presented to them to judge whether or not a trainee is making adequate progress. The book then examines individual sections of the psychiatric training portfolio in more detail. There is an emphasis on using the portfolio as a tool that catalogues evidence and drives learning. It outlines the importance of reflection and how to write reflectively, so that learning can be achieved and retrieved from daily experiences. A set of guiding principles is developed, which demonstrate methods for using the portfolio to effectively communicate evidence of competence. Many of the pitfalls for trainees approaching their ARCP are identified and many practical examples are given. The book will help trainees to develop a conceptual framework for planning their learning, and structuring their portfolio, according to curriculum competencies, in order to present themselves in the best light at their ARCP. Although there is a focus on psychiatry, it will aid any medical trainee undertaking specialty training and provide a useful reference material for trainers and educational supervisors.