Guidelines for Advanced Training in Paediatrics

Variations to the Training Program

Accreditation of the Year in which the FRACP Examination is Passed
Provided that Basic Training has been completed satisfactorily, accreditation for Advanced Training of all or part of the year in which the examination is successfully completed may occur if a number of conditions, as outlined, are met.

• You obtain an Advanced Training position and lodge an application prospectively as for normal Advanced Training
• You pass the Examination
• A satisfactory supervisor's report is received for the year of training
• Appropriate fees are paid
• The CPPT or other training committee accepts the supervisor's recommendation
• Project or other specific requirements are completed satisfactorily.

The CPPT will accredit the training year on the basis of the supervisor's report and completion of all training requirements. You are strongly advised to ask for information in advance from the Honorary Secretary of the CPPT about training matters.

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Transfer between Training Committees
You may be supervised by more than one training committee during any one year of training, but any year can be considered as core training by only one SAC. If you wish to change the direction of your vocational training, it may be possible for previously accredited training to be part of a new training program. This will only be possible if previous training is regarded as relevant by the new training committee.

It is possible to have completed three years of satisfactory training under three different SACs and to be recommended for Fellowship by the CPPT. It is unlikely, however, that in these circumstances you would have completed the necessary requirements for subspecialty training and this may have implications for membership of some special societies/associations or for recognition by State Medical Boards or other government registration bodies.

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Interrupted Training
Paediatric training should be continuous. If your training program is interrupted for more than two years, the CPPT will normally require a period of training additional to the minimum requirements of the program.

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Part-time Training
Part-time training is available. All part-time training must meet the same standards as full-time training. Part-time training is defined as continuous training equal to 50% or more of a full-time training position. Job sharing is acceptable, particularly if you are sharing the work concurrently with another trainee. Approval and accreditation processes are the same as for full-time training. The total duration of training required is three years full-time equivalent. Fees payable to the College over the total period of Advanced Training will not normally exceed those of full-time training.

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Transfer from Adult to Paediatric Training
If you have completed Basic Training and the FRACP Examination in adult medicine and wish to undertake Advanced Training in general or specialist paediatrics, you would normally be required to complete one year of Basic Paediatric training, undertake assessment of paediatric clinical skills by the satisfactory completion of the Clinical Examination in Paediatrics and complete three years of Advanced Training in general or specialist paediatrics.

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Post-FRACP Training
If you wish to undertake further Advanced Training after award of FRACP, you may be supervised by the CPPT or appropriate JSAC/SAC. This training is approved prospectively, accredited at the end of each year of training and is supervised in the same way as pre-FRACP training. Documentation is identical.

Post-FRACP training is training in a subspecialty and the principles of Post-FRACP training include the following:

• Training programs are assessed using the same criteria as for Advanced Training programs; programs are considered prospectively and subsequently accredited if your supervisors' reports are satisfactory
• Only previously approved satisfactory Advanced Training which also fulfils the requirement of the SAC/JSAC supervising Post-FRACP Training may be considered for retrospective accreditation towards completion of Post-FRACP Training programs. A maximum of one year retrospectively accredited training will be allowed
• Post-FRACP Training programs will not usually require completion of "elective" components of training. When you are in Post-FRACP Training following award of Fellowship you will work under supervision and not in a consultant role
• Following satisfactory completion of a Post-FRACP Training program, as detailed above, you will be provided with a letter documenting the completion of your Post-FRACP Training It will be signed by the Chairman of the Board of Paediatric Censors on the recommendation of the SAC/JSAC.

If you are yet to complete Pre-FRACP Training and intend to pursue Post-FRACP Training in another subspecialty, you should notify the Department of Training and Assessment of your intentions before the completion of Pre-RACP Training. This will allow your documentation to be saved or transferred to the second SAC/JSAC for consideration.

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Research
The College adopts a flexible and supportive attitude to the inclusion of research in training. Each training committee has its own requirements about the amount of research that is required or allowed. The CPPT usually requires that the equivalent of no more than two years of Advanced Training be spent in research.

If you wish to spend the entire three years of Advanced Training in research, you should apply to the CPPT for special consideration. Each application must be prospective and will be assessed on the basis of your previous record (including the period of Basic Training), the supervisor's standing as a research worker and supervisor, and the proposed program of research. Approval will generally be given only if you are the recipient of research scholarships from bona fide granting agencies. Full documentation including prospective application and supervisor's report for each year is required.

If you have successfully completed MD or PhD programs prior to passing the FRACP Examination, you may request retrospective accreditation of your research towards Advanced Training, provided that the research was relevant to the Advanced Training program, and that it has not also been accepted as part of Basic Training.

At the completion of training, a designated supervisor must state that you are an adequately trained paediatrician.

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