Portfolio

Did I Really Fail My First ARCP? Understanding UK Annual Training Performance Review

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I had my first ARCP (Annual Review of Competency Progression) for my ST3 vascular training post in June 2024. This review came 10 months into my training and two months before my next placement. Naturally, I was anxious and eager to receive an outcome 1, which signifies satisfactory progress. Unfortunately, I wasn’t so lucky; instead, […]

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7 Powerful Principles and Strategies for Building Your NHS Portfolio

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With increasing competition for training jobs in the NHS, having a robust portfolio is not just a formality but a crucial tool for standing out in your applications and increasing your chances of securing your preferred job. In this article, I offer several principles and strategies applicable to any specialty or professional portfolio, ensuring you

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Building an Impressive ST3 Portfolio: Key Areas and Tips

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Creating a strong portfolio for your ST3 surgical training application involves proper forward- thinking and planning across several key areas. Taking a goal-directed approach is the only sure way to create a portfolio that will secure your interview. Here’s a summary of essential tips and focus areas from my blog posts on ST3 portfolio preparation,

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ST3 Portfolio Building Essentials: Area 9 & 10: Clinician Leadership

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In summary, Areas 9 and 10 assess your ability to demonstrate leadership as a clinician. The GMC considers a good doctor to be more than just a clinician; they should also be able to carry out a wide range of leadership responsibilities, such as management, teaching, and training. Management involves skills in planning, organising, coordination

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ST3 Portfolio Building Essentials: Area 5 – 7: Research and Audit

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In summary, Areas 5-7 focus on research publication experience, conference presentations, and audits/quality improvement projects, essential for demonstrating your research leadership potential. In Area 5, assessors value publications in PubMed-indexed journals, with first-author articles earning the most points. Starting early in your career is crucial to accumulate a robust publication record. For Area 6, conference

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ST3 Portfolio Building Essentials: Area 4: Demonstrating Surgical Skills

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Another key portfolio area is the hands-on surgical experience in performing common procedures specific to your specialty. To measure competency in General & Vascular Surgery, assessors tally the number of appendicectomies performed either independently or while your supervisor is scrubbed, or unscrubbed in theatre. The highest scores, a 4 out of 4, are awarded to

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ST3 Portfolio Building Essentials: Area 3: Surgical Specialties – A Diverse Exposure

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The performance assessment area takes into account the breadth and depth of your experience across different surgical disciplines. It evaluates your exposure to at least two specialties beyond your foundation competencies, such as T&O, Plastic Surgery, Neurosurgery, ENT Surgery, Cardiac/Thoracic Surgery, A&E, ITU, Paediatric Surgery, Urology, or OMFS. To reach the highest score of 2,

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ST3 Portfolio Building Essentials: Area 2: Specialization and Commitment

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The Portfolio area 2 focuses on the depth of experience and commitment demonstrated by individuals within their area of specialization. It highlights the importance of balancing relevant and excessive experience. On the one hand, the longer you’ve been working in your specialization, the better your chances of scoring higher in this area, with a maximum

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ST3 Portfolio Building Essentials: Area 1: Time spent in medicine post-foundation and The Paradox of Overqualification

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One crucial area of evaluation for those seeking a surgical training post is the amount of time spent in medicine post-foundation. However, it is important to note that having a significant amount of experience in this area could actually work against the applicant, potentially resulting in a lower score for their portfolio. This may seem

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