TRAINING IN PAEDIATRIC GASTROENTEROLOGY

Background

The formation of the Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health (RCPCH) in 1997 meant that responsibility for approving formal training programmes in paediatric specialties devolved to the RCPCH from the Royal College of Physicians. Consequently, the RCPCH established a number of specialty Advisory Committees (CSAC), whose role is as follows:

i) to define an appropriate training programme in the specialty;
ii) to define the duration of training;
iii) to approve the quality of training programmes offered in individual centres;
iv) to make recommendations to RCPCH about the likely number of trainees required to fulfil future consultant appointments.

The College Specialist Advisory Committee (CSAC) on Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition have produced a detailed report.
This can be viewed in most browsers which have an Adobe Acrobat plugin or alternatively the Word files can be uploaded onto your computer. the document (including appendixes) is 29 pages long.
If you wish to include time spent in research as part of your training, it is essential that you read the document on this topic shown below.

CSAC Documentation

These documents open in a new window:

Main CSAC document	Acrobat \| Word
Appendix 1 Data for CSAC visits Appendix 2 Skill objectives for trainees Appendix 3 Content of training programme Appendix 4 Forms for visiting team	Acrobat \| Word
Research During Training	Acrobat \| Word

Import Update

The CSAC Committee have now heard from Dr Mary McGraw and the STA that the error related to accreditation in Hepatology and Nutrition has now been rectified.

Trainees training in Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition can now be fully accredited both for Gastroenterology and for Hepatology and for Gastroenterology with Nutrition.

The training programme will consist of:-

1) Core programme – 6 months Gastroenterology / 6 months Hepatology

2) Gastroenterology Trainees – 24 months Gastroenterology (of which 12 months may be one year research if agreed in advance with CSAC Chair)

3) Hepatology Trainees – 30 months Hepatology (12 months of which may be in research training if agreed in advance with CSAC chair)

This accreditation is available retrospectively by contact with Professor Deirdre Kelly at The Liver Unit, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham, B4 6NH.

Acreditation for Training

Download Accreditation details: click here

This statement sets out the policy of the Specialists Training Authority towards counting time spent on clinical duties for the requirements of a CCST as appropriate for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. Candidates for a CCST who wish to count time spent in research towards a CCST are advised to read carefully the Paediatric Training Handbook and as guidance on training is always evolving to check the website www.rcpch.ac.uk for updates.

Accreditation in Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition is obtained as follows:-

The accreditation is entitled :- CCST/CCT in general paediatrics with sub-specialisation in Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.

The training programme consists of a core programme consisting of:-

• 6 months of Gastroenterology and 6 months of Hepatology.

• 24 months in either Hepatology or Gastroenterology.

• 12 months research in either specialty may be substituted for 12 months clinical training.

Subsequent accreditation of clinical training during research years is as follows:-

If additional time (ie more than 12 months) is spent in research, trainees may count part of their research time towards their clinical training if they spend at least 20% of their time in clinical activities as indicated below:

1) The clinical time must have a clear educational objective related to the training programme in paediatric gastroenterology, i.e. an endoscopy list or other GI/hepatology/nutrition investigations session, and outpatient clinic or a grand round. On call duties are not counted towards training

2) At least two sessions per week should be spent on supervised daytime clinical duties; any less a period would not allow any realistic clinical training. Evidence of satisfactory formal assessment (RITA) of clinical training will be required

3) No double counting of time spent in a research post will be allowed. If a candidate spends two sessions per week on clinical work with the balance of the time spent on research then the year would count as 20% clinical training and 80% research, similarly if 5 sessions per week were spent on clinical work and the remainder on research the year would count as 50% clinical training and six months would be approved as time counting towards a CCST

4) The arrangement to count clinical training time during a period of research must be approved prospectively by the Postgraduate Dean and the CSAC in paediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition for the Royal College of Paediatric Child Health

5) Trainees appointed to research posts are advised that they should obtain written prospective approval from the Regional Advisor of the proportion that will be accreditable for clinical training.

Agreement for Training

David Devadason and Deirdre Kelly have piloted a questionnaire establishing an agreement of training to be initiated at the beginning of the training programme for each grid trainee. The agreement is enclosed as follows:-

Acrobat copy: click here
Word copy: click here