A-Z Glossary

The PACES examination consists of five stations. Candidates will start at any one of the five stations, and then move around the carousel until they have completed the cycle.

Certificate of Completion of Training. This has been awarded by the GMC from April 2010 onwards, to doctors in training who satisfactorily complete their training in an approved specialty training programme and fulfil the approved curriculum.

The Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) is awarded by the GMC. It is given to doctors who have completed an approved UK training programme, and are eligible to join the UK register for general practice or a specialty.

Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration. Doctors who have knowledge, skills and experience in a specialty that is approved for the award of a CCT by the GMC but have gained these outside of an approved training programme may apply for entry onto the Specialist Register with a CESR in a CCT specialty.

The Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR) is awarded by the GMC. It is given to doctors who have gained the necessary knowledge, skills and experience outside an approved UK training programme, but are eligible to apply for the UK specialist register.  The specialist register is a list of doctors who are legally entitled to take up honorary, substantive or fixed term consultant posts in the NHS.

Capabilities in Practice. Learning outcomes for internal medicine that collectively cover the key professional activities expected of a fully trained physician.

These parts of the PACES examination assess the candidate’s practical skills such as examining a patient and interpreting clinical signs. These are stations 1, 3 and 5.

A clinical supervisor is a trainer who is selected and appropriately trained to be responsible for overseeing the clinical work of a specified doctor in training and for providing constructive feedback on that work during a training placement. Some training schemes appoint an educational supervisor for each placement. The roles of clinical and educational supervisor may then be merged.

Core Medical Training (CMT) follows on from the foundation years (FY1 and FY2). It is a two-year programme covering general and acute internal medicine. So CMT1 doctors are in their first year of this programme and CMT2 doctors are in their second year. Most candidates attempt the MRCP(UK) Part 2 Written and PACES examinations while they are in CMT. 

For MRCP(UK) PACES, candidates sitting in the UK must apply through one of the three colleges in the Federation. The colleges process the examination applications. For internaitonal PACES places this is MRCP(UK) central office. For the other examinations please see administrative office.

College tutors represent their College in a local education provider. They oversee and co-ordinate the training provided in their LEP in the specialties concerned.

Doctors who have been appointed to a GMC-approved training programme above the usual entry point, and who successfully complete the rest of the programme, may apply for entry onto the Specialist Register with a CESR or entry onto the GP Register with a CEGPR through the combined programme (CESR(CP) or CEGPR(CP)).

Conference of Postgraduate Medical Deans.  It provides a focus for those responsible for the strategic overview and operational delivery of postgraduate medical training in the four nations of the United Kingdom.

This is an additional form of written feedback for a PACES candidate, which has been completed by the examiners. It happens when there is a concern about poor performance overall, or about patient welfare. 

Continuing professional development - refers to any learning undertaken outside undergraduate education and postgraduate training which helps to maintain and improve performance. In the case of doctors, it covers the development of knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours across all areas of medical practice. It includes all learning activities, both formal and informal, by which doctors maintain and develop the quality of their professional work.

The GMC approves curricula and assessment systems for postgraduate medical specialties and subspecialties. Under the Quality Improvement Framework the GMC uses the expertise of a standing panel of associates to evaluate changes. The purpose of the CAG is to:

1. scrutinise changes to specialty and sub-specialty curricula and assessment systems and evaluate them against the GMC’s curriculum standards
2. scrutinise applications for approval of new subspecialties and evaluate them against the GMC’s protocol
3. provide recommendations to the GMC on the conclusions of these evaluations.