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Acute care common stem

In addition to undertaking core medical training, there exists an alternative route into physicianly training - via the training pathway of acute care common stem (ACCS).

In particular, trainees who are interested in careers in the acute aspects of medical care may wish to consider the possibility of ACCS-AM training. In this three-year programme, trainees will get experience of acute medicine, critical care, anaesthetics, emergency medicine and general medical specialties.

The aim of ACCS training is to produce multi-competent junior doctors able to recognise and manage the sick patient, and who have the complementary specialty training required for higher specialty training.

ACCS training (normally) follows foundation year 2, as does CMT, and is the only core training programme for trainees wishing to progress to higher specialty training in emergency medicine.

For candidates considering application to ACCS, please note the following advice from the Intercollegiate Committee on ACCS training:

'Recruitment to ACCS will be by separate streams, dependent on intended parent specialty - this is a new process for 2012. While the first two years of ACCS will share a common curriculum, and any competences acquired are transferable, it is not possible to switch between ACCS career paths without a further competitive selection process. Candidates are therefore advised to select their initial ACCS pathwayof choice with care.'

‹ Separate ACCS training streams ›

There are three main, separate streams of training through the pathway of ACCS:

ACCS (acute medicine)
ACCS (anaesthesia)
ACCS (emergency medicine)

Recruitment to each of these streams will be handled separately, by different bodies and via different recruitment processes - more information on each can be viewed below.

More information on each of the strands of ACCS can be found below - click the heading in each case to reveal more details:

NB - for full, detailed information on all aspects of the ACCS programme, please visit the ACCS website, from where much of this page's summary information is taken.

Recruitment to ACCS-AM posts will be coordinated by the RCP-SRO in 2012; click the heading below to view more information:

‹ ACCS - acute medicine (ACCS-AM) ›

Please click on the headings below to reveal more details about the ACCS-AM programme's eligibility requirements, the makeup and content of the programme, and the process of recruitment to CT1 ACCS-AM posts in 2012:

‹ 2012 person specification ›

The 2012 CT1 ACCS-AM person specification has been published by the DH, and can be downloaded from the downloads section of this website, and also the DH medical specialty training website.

‹ The ACCS-AM programme ›

During the initial two years of the ACCS progamme, you will normally spend between six and nine months in each of the four core medical specialties: acute medicine, emergency medicine, anaesthetics and critical care medicine, depending on the deanery in which you are working and your year of appointment.

The third year of the programme will be arranged as required, and will consist of four-to-six month posts in general medical specialties. As with other ACCS streams, candidates here can opt to apply to ST3-level posts after only two years of the programme; but this will require them to have gained all CT1 and CT2-level competences before the end of the second year to be eligible.

Given that ACCS trainees will rotate in and out of medical specialties during their time in the programme, they may require the additional third year so as to have the opportunity to gain the necessary medical core competences.

ACCS training is described under headings of common competences, major and acute clinical presentations and practical procedures. During the ACCS-AM module, trainees should cover a range of presentations and area of the ACCS syllabus.

‹ Common competences ›

These are competences that should be acquired by all doctors during their training period; for ACCS trainees, competence to at least level 2 descriptors will be expected prior to progression into further/higher specialty training.

‹ Major presentations ›

Two formative assessments (mini-CEX or CbD) covering two of the six major presentations are to be completed during the acute medicine section of ACCS. The major presentations are:

anaphylaxis
cardio-respiratory arrest
major trauma
the septic patient
the shocked patient

‹ Acute presentations ›

Ten formative assessments (mini-CEX, CbD, ACAT), plus eight-to-10 of the remaining acute presentations covered using ACATs, e-learning, reflective entries, teaching and audit.

‹ Practical procedures ›

Five DOPs, covering five of the 44 listed practical procedures not covered elsewhere. These are:

lumbar puncture
pleural tap & aspiration
intercostal drain insertion (seldinger)
intercostal drain insertion (open)
ascitic tap
abdominal paracentesis
DC cardioversion
knee aspiration
temporary pacing (external/wire)
large joint examination.

‹ Recruitment to ACCS-AM posts in 2012 ›

Candidates who wish to apply to ACCS-AM CT1 posts beginning in August 2012 should apply via the RCP-SRO CT1 recruitment process described elsewhere on this website.

Please note - this CT1 recruitment process includes only CMT and ACCS-AM posts, and is separate from recruitment processes for ACCS (anaesthetics) and ACCS (emergency medicine). For details on these, please see further down the page.

Recruitment process

In 2012 (NB - applications open 25 November 2011), recruitment to both ACCS-AM and CMT posts at CT1-level will be organised via the RCP-SRO CT1 recruitment process. In terms of assessment for recruitment, there will be one application form, used for both ACCS-AM and CMT, and one interview format, again used for both.

Deanery/UoA preferences

When initially completing applications, candidates will complete one single application form, and be invited to give preferences of up to four deaneries/UoAs. If eligible, they will then be allocated to the highest available of their preferences, based on the score awarded to their application form.

CT1 interviews

Please note that in 2010 and 2011, 100% of (eligible) candidates applying in the first round of the RCP-SRO CT1 (CMT) application process have been invited to interview; with over 90% invited to interview at their first-choice preference deanery/UoA.

All CT1 interviews will be held between 24 January and 17 February 2012. Candidates who progress to the interview stage will be invited to give 'sub-preferences' of the available posts therein; allowing them to then either make known their preference for either ACCS-AM or CMT programmes, or some combination of both; as well as giving preferences for locations, rotations, etc.

Once interviews are completed, places in programmes will be allocated according to rank (based on total score) and candidates' expressed preferences for programmes.

‹ Other ACCS streams ›

Recruitment to 2012 ACCS-anaes and ACCS-EM posts is not being coordinated by the RCP-SRO; please click the relevant headings below for more information on the bodies handling recruitment, and the application process, in each case:

‹ ACCS - anaesthesia (ACCS-anaes) ›

For information on ACCS-anaes posts, please click here to visit the ACCS website.

Recruitment to ACCS-anaes posts in 2012

Anaesthesia posts - both in ACCS (anaesthesia) and in 'full' anaesthesia core CT1 programmes - will be recruited to as one process via the West Midlands Deanery.

Please note - recruitment to anaesthetia posts includes only CT1 anaesthetics and ACCS-anaes posts, and is separate from recruitment processes for ACCS (acute medicine) and ACCS (emergency medicine). For details on these, please see elsewhere on this page.

Candidates who wish to follow a career in anaesthesia should apply with a single application form for both anaesthetics CT1 and ACCS (anaesthetics).

Those candidates assessed to be eligible will be guaranteed an interview (providing they have ranked enough deaneries/UoAs).

There will be one single 'anaesthetics' application form - that is, regardless of whether candidates would prefer to be considered for CT1 anaesthesia posts, or CT1 ACCS-anaesthesia posts (or both), they need only complete one application. Preferences for one type of post or other can be given at a later stage of the recruitment process.

Following interview, places in programmes will be allocated according to rank and expressed performance for programme.

Once a post in a deanery/UoA is accepted (or held), there can be automatic upgrade to place within a higher-preferenced programme within anaesthesia/ACCS-anaes, should one become available.

‹ ACCS - emergency medicine (ACCS-EM) ›

For more information on posts in the training programme of ACCS-EM, please click here to visit the emergency medicine page of the ACCS website.

Recruitment to ACCS-EM posts in 2012

Candidates who wish to follow a career in emergency medicine should apply for CT1 posts in ACCS-EM via the London Deanery.

Please note - recruitment to ACCS posts via the London Deanery recruitment process is for only ACCS-EM posts; and is separate from recruitment processes for ACCS (acute medicine) and ACCS (anaesthesia). For details on these, please see elsewhere on this page.

All eligible applicants will be interviewed at a central assessment centre in London, during w/c Monday 23 January 2012.

Following interview, places in programmes will be allocated according to rank and expressed preference for programme.

Once a post in ACCS-EM is accepted (or held), there can be automatic upgrade to a higher preference post within emergency medicine, should one become available.