This formative assessment will guide your learning through structured feedback and help the supervisor evaluate the expertise and judgement exercised in clinical cases.

Requirement

​Four CbDs are to be completed per training year, due by ​15 September.

More information

• Enter CbD rating form data into the Advanced Training Portal
• See Case-based Discussion for information sheets, workflow, ratings and other resources

A Case Report shows your accumulation of experience in the complete management of families. They should contain more than reports of new research, posters or grant applications.

Requirement

At least four case reports are to be completed in each of the three years of training and are due by 15 September. Completion of case reports is required to progress to the next year of training*. Each case report should be based on each one of the Case-based Discussions submitted.

For clinical genetics (general) and cancer genetics trainees, at least two of the total 12 case reports must address clinical problems in the following areas:

• Cytogenetics
• Dysmorphology/clinical diagnosis
• Molecular genetic testing/clinical correlation
• Biochemical genetics
• Prenatal diagnosis
• Mendelian genetic problems, e.g. cystic fibrosis, Huntington’s disease, myotonic dystrophy.

For metabolic medicine trainees, at least five of a total of 12 case reports should focus on:

• management/treatment issues relevant to the case with a list (maximum 100 words) of relevant counselling/psychosocial issues
• counselling/psychosocial issues with a list (maximum 100 words) of relevant management/treatment issues.

In addition, two clinical general genetic case reports should be submitted. These should be written as outlined for trainees in clinical genetics.

For each area:

• treatment issues
• counselling/psychosocial issues in depth.

Publications may be submitted as case reports (with you as the first author). A counselling issues section should be appended to publications submitted as case reports.

No more than two publications per year should be submitted as case reports where it is not possible to include counselling issues (e.g. review articles).

Acceptable standards for case reports

​You must comply with the requirement of 1500–2000 words for each case report, not including references.

Case Reports should include:

• ​summary
• ​referral details.

Clinical section, including:

• history
• pedigree
• clinical examination
• differential diagnosis
• literature review.

Counselling issues, including:

• reasons for seeking assessment
• dilemmas faced by consult
• emotions, such as fear, grieving, guilt, anger and psychological defence mechanisms
• consultant’s understanding of discussion of testing, penetrance/occurrence risk, recurrence risk, natural history, variability, prenatal and/or diagnostic testing
• benefits and limitations of testing uncertainty
• offer of plans for counselling to relatives at risk
• outcome follow-up/management.

Bibliography/reference list

In addition, case reports should be written in sound English and be free from grammatical and typographical errors. A standard, consistent method of citing the literature should be used.

* Trainees whose first six months of training are in a research position may apply to the Coordinator of Advanced Training for a variation of this rule for their first year, although the requirements for the second year will remain the same. If fewer than four cases have been received by the end of the first year, but there are specific circumstances which have made it difficult for the trainee to comply with this requirement, an extension until 28 February of the following year may be granted at the discretion of the Coordinator of Advanced Training. If this deadline is not met, the application to commence or continue training for that year will not be considered. The trainee would then have until 31 August to submit the cases in order for the second half of the year to be considered for approval. The same deadlines apply for trainees who have not submitted eight cases or had four cases approved by the end of the second year.

More information

• See Additional resources for the Case Report Cover Sheet

Learning Needs Analys​is (LNA) assists you in identifying your learning needs, planning your learning objectives and evaluating your progress in your practice.

Requirement

Two LNAs are to be completed per year, one per six-month period early in the rotation (core and non-core), due by 31 January of the following year.

More information

• Complete and submit the LNA via the Advanced Training Portal
• See Learning Needs Analysis for information sheets and other resources

Research requirements enable you to gain experience:

• in research methods
• in interpretation of research literature
• in participation in research at some stage of your career
• to develop quality improvement skills

Submission of a research project provides:

• evidence of the skills of considering and defining research problems
• the systematic acquisition, analysis, synthesis and interpretation of data
• effective written communication

Requirement for trainees commencing training in 2017 onwards

One research project is to be completed over the course of training due by the annual submission date of 15 September in any year before the end of Advanced Training.

The research project must be marked as satisfactory prior to admission to Fellowship. It is recommended that trainees submit their research project by the annual submission date in their penultimate year of training to allow time for marking and resubmission of research projects initially marked ‘Resubmit’.

Requirement for trainees who commenced training before 2017

One research project is to be completed over the course of training due by 15 September in the final year of training.

A Research Project proposal is due by 15 September in the second year of training (however, 15 September of the first year for training is recommended) and should be completed during the course of training.

Trainees should be able to complete the research project concurrently with clinical training. In general, these goals will be met by the trainee conducting or taking a major role in a research project which could lead to publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Role of project supervisor

The role of the project supervisor is to assist the trainee in the selection of the project and project design, and to guide the trainee in completion of the project. The project supervisor is not a joint author. The project supervisor is asked to certify that the project is ready for submission.

Trainees must allow adequate time for their supervisor to read and provide feedback prior to the submission date. The project supervisor is required to report on the trainee’s role in the research, including the amount of time spent actually conducting the research (in hours per week and number of weeks).

In laboratory projects, it should be made clear which experiments the trainee carried out at the bench, and which work was done by other laboratory personnel. Please see the link below to download the Research Project Supervisor’s Report, which will need to be completed by the project supervisor and submitted together with the research report.

Acceptable project formats

Projects should be presented in a standard suitable for publication, adhering to the usual norms of scientific writing. Projects should provide defined aims, study design, methodology, results and a discussion of outcomes. The conclusions should relate to the aims.

Published case reports are not acceptable for this purpose, although a substantial case series may be. For example, an acceptable case series would be one in which a trainee obtains ethics approval, locates and contacts a large number of patients, examines these patients, collates and analyses the data and then presents the findings in a report of appropriate standard.

In most instances, the trainee will be first author of the paper(s) submitted for assessment, although second or lower authorship may be acceptable if the trainee can demonstrate a substantial role in the project’s planning and execution. Mere provision of patient material to a research group will seldom, if ever, qualify.

It is not required that the work be published at the time of submission. Unpublishable work may still be acceptable if the trainee can demonstrate that the goals of the research project have been met. For example, if a trainee spends a substantial amount of time developing laboratory methods for an assay that consequently does not add any importance to the understanding of the topic, no publication is likely to result. Nevertheless, the trainee will clearly have met the goals of the project.

Each project will be assessed by two independent reviewers. 

These summative assessments provide you with structured feedback on your performance and inform the certification of training decision.

Requirement

One Supervisor’s Report is due per rotation, two per rotation for 12 month rotations (core and non-core)

For Advanced Trainees in 12-month positions:

• One Supervisor’s Report is to be submitted by 15 July for the first six months of the calendar year.
• One Supervisor’s Report is to be submitted by 31 January of the following year covering the final six months of the calendar year.

For Advanced Trainees in positions of six months or less with separate supervisors, or at separate sites:

• One Supervisor’s Report should be completed for each rotation and submitted to the College by 15 July (for first half of the year) and 31 January the following year (for the second half of the year).

Advanced Trainees approaching the end of their training should submit a report that covers the whole second half of the year by 15 October.

Supervisor’s responsibilities:

• The Supervisor’s Report must be completed by supervisors who have directly supervised the trainee.
• If the supervisor has not directly supervised the trainee throughout the whole rotation, the supervisor should obtain individual reports from those who have directly supervised the trainee and provide a composite report. 
• Discuss the report with the trainee prior to both parties signing the report, and provide the trainee with a copy of each report.

Trainee’s responsibilities:

• Ensure that all supervisors receive a copy of the Supervisor’s Report (failure to do this may result in delays or non-certification of a period of training).
• Provide copies of previous Supervisor's Report(s) to the next year's/rotation’s supervisor.

This ​training assists you in developing a sophisticated understanding of child development, encompassing physical, cognitive, emotional, behavioural and social areas, which should be gained from the perspective of the child within the family and in the context of the community.

Requirement

This is a requirement for Paediatrics & Child Health trainees only.

• Australia: Once over entire training period (Basic Training and Advanced Training) for six months due by the end of Advanced Training.
• New Zealand: Once over entire training period (Basic Training and Advanced Training) for three months due by the end of Advanced Training.

Note: Completion of the Developmental and Psychosocial component of paediatric training by clinical genetics trainees can be satisfied by completing all the requirements of Advanced Training in Clinical Genetics under the supervision of the ATC in Clinical Genetics. However, undertaking only a part of Advanced Training in Clinical Genetics will not satisfy this requirement.