Guide to Anaesthetics Training (The Handbook)

The 2021 Anaesthetics Curriculum has been designed to support learning, development, and professional identity formation for UK anaesthetists in training. Much more than a set of hurdles to clear, the curriculum is intended to prepare individuals for all aspects of a career as an anaesthetist, not only as a clinician, but in every facet of the professional role.

Achievement in training is predicated on willingness to engage with the range of learning experiences on offer, underpinned by a continuous reflective cycle that is recorded in the Lifelong Learning platform (LLp). Supervised Learning Events (SLEs), Personal Activities, and Personal Reflections should all be used alongside a clinical logbook to create a narrative of progression across the 14 domains of learning.

Supervised Learning Events (SLEs)

While the familiar tools remain (A-CEX, ALMAT, CBD, DOPS), their ethos has shifted significantly. SLEs are low-stakes records of the everyday ‘learning conversations’ that take place with trainers. Completed contemporaneously, they should outline pertinent discussion points and sign-post agreed strategies for development. Their use is no longer prescriptive nor limited by arbitrary targets or set minimum numbers. Instead, consistent, meaningful participation is the overriding requirement.

The supervision scale should be viewed as an adjunct to formative feedback, enabling individuals to benchmark progress against the expectations of the programme. As records of the learning process, SLEs should represent a range of clinical experiences, including encounters that demonstrate areas for improvement. A portfolio of SLEs will show evidence of progression, both in complexity and in the diminishing level of clinical supervision required with time and experience.

Personal Activities

Keeping a log of supporting professional activities (such as attendance at courses, conferences, project work, simulation, etc.) will show engagement with both the specialty specific and generic professional domains of the 2021 curriculum. These portfolio entries are as equally important as SLEs and should be completed alongside appropriate reflective practice. This mirrors the professional requirements for appraisal and revalidation which will continue throughout your career.

Personal Reflections

The ability to reflect on learning experiences is a fundamental part of professional development. Reflections may be stand-alone entries in the portfolio or linked to SLEs, Personal Activities, or cases from the logbook.

Assessment at Critical Progression Points

A local Assessment Faculty will draw on the range of information contained in an individual’s portfolio to manage progression at key milestones in the programme. It is important that anaesthetists in training understand and provide evidence for the key capabilities, which underpin the learning outcomes of the 14 domains at every stage of training.

Each learner will progress at their own rate and should work collaboratively with trainers to ensure achievement of educational objectives. In return, learners should expect to receive the support and guidance needed to be successful.

The anaesthetist in training as a supervisor

Senior anaesthetists in training will take on a supervisory role for their more junior colleagues. These experiences are mutually beneficial, providing near-peer support for learners and preparing senior anaesthetists in training for their educational role as consultants. As well as providing supervision and mentorship, it is also expected that senior anaesthetists in training will complete SLEs, especially related to practice outside normal working hours and in emergency settings. These experiences can also be used to evidence capabilities in the Education and Training domain of learning, amongst others within their own portfolios.

The 2021 Curriculum recognises anaesthetists in training as capable professionals who are responsible for managing their own learning. The curriculum has been designed to complement and support professional development and is underpinned by authentic and robust assessment practices. We believe that the changes made in the 2021 Curriculum will empower anaesthetists in training and help them towards achieving their potential.