Workplace-Based Assessments

The multi-source feedback assesses generic skills such as communication, teamwork and leadership. The trainee chooses 'raters' and sends out ticket requests. It is generally recommended that more tickets need sending out than then minimum requirement as 100% completion rate is unusual. The number and breakdown of respondents required are defined in the ARCP decision aid. Importantly, note the minimum number of respondents from consultants and the requirement for the respondents to reflect a spread of professionals and for the period covered to be relatively short. Once an adequate number of responses have been collated your educational supervisor can release them too you. The trainee will not usually see the individual responses, just the collated report.

Different regions have different requirements regarding MSF timings and you'll be informed of this by your TPDs.

If there are training concerns you may be asked to complete a second MSF at another time as well but if this is the case the reasons will be clearly communicated to you.

These are used in the assessment of practical skills. They should initially be formative (used more to provide feedback on the procedure) but sign off for procedures requiring independence needs to be summative and by two separate people (note these don't have to be consultants but do need to be skilled in the procedure themselves and not other core trainees).

The JRCPTB IMT and GIM advisory committees have produced guidance on interpretation of DOPS sign off.

Over the last few years some trainees have had difficulty in performing certain procedures in certain hospitals and steps have been taken to rectify this situation but any trainee having difficulty is advised to get in contact with their TPD earlier rather than later.

The ACAT may be new to many of you but is something that continues throughout physician training after IMT. Whereas the mini-CEX and CBD assess more directly your assessment and patient management skills of individual cases, these look more broadly at your acute care work. As well as including clinical assessment and decision making they should reflect your skills in medical record keeping, investigations and referrals, time management, prioritisation, team working, communication, clinical leadership and handover.

It requires a minimum of five patients to be included and should be completed by a consultant. It's important to note that all five patients don't necessarily have to be seen with that individual consultant but they should be aware of the details of all five and it's perfectly acceptable for a consultant to discuss with their consultant colleagues and registrar overing the period regarding your management of cases they didn't see directly.

Different hospitals have different opportunities to complete these which are often on call days and night shifts. We highly recommended talking to your supervisors or other trainees in the hospital you're in to find out the best way to do them there. It's generally felt that trainees who are proactive and ask a consultant at the start of a shift if they could "complete and ACAT on the patients they see on that take" find it easier to get them completed.