Educational assessment is an important part of learning. Formative assessment allows you and us to check on how you are doing as you progress through the course so that your continuing education can be planned appropriately. This assessment occurs in many ways, for example:

Half-day release
Homework for seminars and presentations at seminars

Hospital jobs
We have identified the necessary skills that you should pick up during each attachment. Initial, mid-point and end Point assessment (appraisal from Hospital Clinical Supervisor)

General Practice
Use of Rating Scales, MCQs, PEPs (Phased Evaluation Programmes), Consultation style video analysis, Case analysis.

The eportfolio
This is a requirement of the workplace based assessment of the MRCGP assessment. It is a formative assessment tool, and you "get out what you put in" in educational terms.

None of these assessments are supposed to be threatening, merely an enjoyable and constructive way for you to check that you are learning the right things.

FEEDBACK - We also require you to tell us how we are doing, at the end of each seminar, General Practice and hospital attachment.

The new RCGP curriculum

The Royal College of General Practitioners has recently written a new curriculum for general practice training, which can be found on their website it is a large document, containing a number of curriculum statements, covering the knowledge, skills, and attributes of being a general practitioner. Core curriculum statement no 1 (Being a General Practitioner) is a useful start for prospective GP Registrars.

The new curriculum will underpin the MRCGP examination.

The MRCGP Examination

All GP Registrars now entering Vocational Training will have to pass the MRCGP examination in order to be able to practice independently as a GP. The exam has three modules: an applied knowledge test (AKT), a clinical skills assessment (CSA), and a work place based assessment (WBPA) incorporating the eportfolio. We keep GPRs  informed about developments, and give them experience of the CSA examination.

Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT)

After completing the MRCGP examinations, GP Registrars will also have to obtain a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT).

The process of completing training will be explained carefully once GP Registrars join the scheme. For more details see the Northern Deanery and the GMC website.

Updated by BC on 24/2/08 & ST/L 29/10/09