CT 1 & 2 (ST 1 & 2) Training

Basic Level Training

Minimum time in CT1/2 is 21 months in anaesthesia and 3 months in Intensive Care Medicine (ICM). The ICM experience has to be delivered in a minimum of 1 month blocks which has to include on-call.

Mandatory Assessment for Trainees:

Initial Assessment of Competency

This is usually completed by the third month in anaesthesia. If this initial assessment is not completed by 6 months, it “…will call into question their suitability for a career in anaesthesia.”

Download Initial Assessment of Competency

Assessment of Basic Competency in Obstetric Anaesthesia

This consists of a minimum of 20 directly supervised obstetric anaesthesia sessions taken within a 4 month period. All trainees must have passed this to enter ST3 but would normally not undertake the assessment until their CT2 year.

Download Basic Competencies in Obstetric Anaesthesia

Assessment of Basic Competency in Regional Anaesthesia

Spinal blocks should be assessed within the first 12 months and lumbar epidural blocks during the first 18 months.

Subsequent Assessment for Trainees

Further assessments of basic training will be done in the workplace and by examination.

Workplace assessments consist of:

Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS);
Mini-Clinical Assessment Evaluation Exercise (mini-CEX)
Case-based Discussion (CbD); and
Multi-Source Feedback (MSF)

Click on 'workplace assessments' for more details and to download forms.

Further details of specific workplace assessments can be found in the Royal College CCT document.

Eligibility for ST3 post

It is ESSENTIAL that you have the following to be eligible to apply for / progress into a ST3 post:

been issued Basic Level Training Certificate
passed the RCoA Primary
completed and passed all workplace assessments
demonstrated acceptable attitudes and behaviour

What the School would consider DESIRABLE for trainees by the end of their CT1 year:

have passed their MCQ
have completed 1 audit
have completed the mimimum workplace assessments (as required by the College) of 12 DOPs, 1 MSF, 4 CbDs and 8 mini-CEXs.
have gained their basic competency in regional anaesthesia.
have started to obtain their obstetric competencies.

What the School would consider DESIRABLE for trainees by the end of their CT2 year:

the Primary FRCA
a further audit and/or a re-audit
to have completed the mimimum workplace assessments (as required by the College) of further 12 DOPs, 1 MSF, 4 CbDs and 8 mini-CEXs.
plus the other requirements of the RCoA as stated in ‘The CCT in Anaesthesia’.
to have completed Advance Life Support (ALS) Course
to have completed European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) Course
to have done a departmental presentation.