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

Requirement

Australia: Minimum three per year (one per six-month period) due by 31 January of the following year.
New Zealand: Minimum three per year (one per six-month period) due by the end of the training rotation.

More information

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

For Paediatrics & Child Health trainees only.
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

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: Developmental and Psychosocial Training won't count towards your non-core training.

More information

• Developmental & Psychosocial Training

This formative assessment is used to guide your learning and achievement of competency in procedural skills, through direct observation and the provision of structured feedback by an experienced assessor. 

Requirements

Australia: Four per year due by 31 January of the following year (core and non-core)
New Zealand: Minimum four per year (minimum two per six-month period) due by the end of the training rotation (core and non-core)

Acceptable procedures

More information

• Enter DOPS rating form data into the Advanced Training Portal
• See Direct Observation of Procedural Skills for information sheets, rating forms, and more

Learning Needs Analysis (LNA) helps embed the process of planning and evaluating learning in your practice.

Requirement

More information

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

Keeping a logbook ensures that you can demonstrate competence in undertaking clinical procedures.

Requirements

One logbook is to be kept per training program over the course of training (core and non-core).  Logbooks must be updated throughout training and trainees are required to submit logbooks for review at the end of each training year with the Supervisor's Report.

Note: A respiratory medicine logbook and a sleep medicine logbook must be completed for dual respiratory medicine and sleep medicine certification.

Additional requirements

Completion of the logbook for the relevant period must also be reported in each Supervisor’s Report.

• Trainees are required to maintain a logbook that documents clinical procedures including bronchoscopy, tube thoracotomy and pleural aspiration.
  • The information required for each procedure includes the medical record number, the procedure performed, and the outcome of the procedure including any complications or unusual features.
  • The logbook should state whether these procedures were supervised or unsupervised.
• Respiratory Trainees are required to maintain a logbook that documents clinical procedures including bronchoscopy, tube thoracostomy, pleural ultrasound and pleural aspiration. Trainees also need to keep a record of all respiratory function tests reported.
• Sleep Medicine Trainees are required to maintain a logbook that documents clinical work, sleep lab work, sleep study reporting, presentations and respiratory function test reporting.

Competence may be assessed based on the written record of procedures in the logbook, the written assessment by supervisors who will be asked to verify the details of the logbook, and the trainee’s experience and competence.

Number of procedures

As a guide to the number of procedures required to gain competence, trainees should approximately aim to complete the following numbers of procedures during their training period.

Adult respiratory medicine

200 x bronchoscopies
10 x tube thoracostomies
300 x lung function reports^*
Thoracic ultrasonography

^* Specific tests should be recorded and it is expected that trainees will gain expertise in the full range of lung function testing including spirometry, gas transfer factor, maximal respiratory pressures, lung volumes, bronchoprovocation testing, cardiopulmonary exercise testing and other specialised tests.

Highly desirable procedural skills (optional)

25 x transbronchial lung biopsies
Pleuroscopy
EBUS

Paediatric respiratory medicine

50 x fiberoptic bronchoscopy cases performed by trainee during course of training
300 x Lung function reports (specific tests should be recorded)
Pulmonary function tests performed by trainee (not just reported)

Adult sleep medicine

Clinical work
500 x cases in total including all new and review patients seen as inpatients and outpatients
150 x new patients
30 x new cases where the primary problem is a non-respiratory sleep disorder
50 x positive airway pressure therapy
20 x institution of NIV

Sleep laboratory work
5 x study set-up and calibration of physiological signals
25 x review of raw data: sleep staging and respiratory scoring
5 x concordance assessment

Sleep study reporting
500 x studies in total
350 x level 1 studies
20 x NIV studies
20 x vigilance (MSLT, MWT)

Presentations
3 x physiology topic
12 x sleep cases

Non-respiratory Advanced Trainees additional procedures
100 x RFT reporting
1 per week x respiratory medicine outpatient clinic
Inpatient management of respiratory patients, including acute respiratory failure

Paediatric Sleep medicine

Clinical Work
50 x inpatient cases, including consultations
350 x outpatient consultations
150 x new patients including 30 x cases where the primary problem is a non-respiratory sleep disorder
50 x positive airway pressure therapy
20 x institution of NIV

Laboratory work
5 x study set-up and calibration of physiological signals

Review of raw data
25 x sleep staging and respiratory scoring
5 x concordance assessment

Sleep study reporting
300 x total studies
250 x level 1 studies
20 x NIV/ CPAP studies
5 x vigilance (MSLT)

Presentations
3 x physiology topic
12 x sleep cases

Non-respiratory trainees additional procedures
100 x RFT reporting (across 2 years)

Exceptions

Except where it is stated that specific cases are to be recorded:

• all numbers listed above are a guide only as to what supervisors and trainees may aim for
• failure to reach these numbers does not provide grounds on which to prevent a trainee from training progression
• it is expected that supervisors may assess trainees to be competent to progress without the prescribed numbers being reached
• the logbook requirement does not mandate recording details of each individual case, but recommends recording of total numbers for that procedure

More information

• See Additional resources for the Sleep Medicine Logbook Template

This requirement assists you in demonstrating professional learning in Respiratory Medicine or Sleep Medicine.

Requirement

You're required to attend 2 national or international scientific meetings^* over the course of training. Attendance must be completed by the end of your training.

You must provide documentary evidence of all of your meeting attendance to the College in the form of a Certificate of Attendance. A tax invoice for registration at an event will not be accepted.

Evidence can be submitted at any time to respiratorysleep@racp.edu.au

This formative assessment is used to evaluate your clinical performance in real life settings. The mini-CEX ensures you receive timely, structured feedback on how to improve your practice in areas such as communication, history taking, physical examination and professional practice.

Requirement

Australia: minimum three per year (one per six-month period) due by 31 January of the following year.
New Zealand: minimum three per year (minimum one per six-month period) due by the end of the training rotation (core and non-core).

More information

• Complete and submit the mini-CEX via the Advanced Training Portal
• See mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercises for information sheet, workflow, rating forms and other resources

Requirement

Australia: minimum one per year due by 31 January of the following year (core and non-core)
New Zealand: minimum one per year due by the end of the training rotation (core and non-core).

More information

• Complete and submit the PQR via the Advanced Training Portal
• See Professional Qualities Reflection for information sheets and workflows

Overview

Respiratory Medicine/Sleep Medicine Research Project

The Respiratory Medicine/Sleep Medicine Research Project enables 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

Requirements

Applies to all trainees who commenced training before 2017 and Australian trainees who commenced in 2017-18

One project is required over the course of training. You are required to submit proof of acceptance of your poster or abstract prior to the completion of training^*. The research project(s) must be presented at a national or international meeting before Fellowship will be conferred.

You are required to undertake a significant research project during your training, in order to understand and apply appropriate research methodologies in laboratory and clinical settings. You should become actively involved in research activities, including quality assurance. Experience should be gained in:

• study design
• literature research and review
• writing submissions for grant funding and ethics committee approval
• data collection
• storage and analysis
• computer program evaluation for results analysis, statistics and graphics

Success in these activities is demonstrated by publication or presentation of a significant project at a national or international meeting.

You are required to:

• present and be the principal author of at least one paper at a national or international meeting of a society, e.g. Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ), Australasian Sleep Association (ASA) or the College Congress, or
• prepare an article accepted for publication by a peer-reviewed journal. In general, single case reports will not satisfy this criterion

You are required to provide:

• proof of acceptance of their poster or abstract at a national or international meeting
• proof of acceptance of their article for publication, and
• a copy of your abstract or article

Advanced Training Research Project

The Advanced Training Research Project enables 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

Requirements

For New Zealand trainees who commenced training in 2017-18
One project over the course of training is due by 31 October in the penultimate year before the end of Advanced Training.

The research project must be marked as satisfactory prior to admission to Fellowship. Submission by 31 October in your penultimate year of training allows time for marking and resubmission of research projects initially marked ‘resubmit’.

For trainees commencing training in 2019 onwards
One project over the course of training is due by 31 October in the penultimate year before the end of Advanced Training.

The research project must be marked as satisfactory prior to admission to Fellowship. Submission by 31 October in your penultimate year of training allows time for marking and resubmission of research projects initially marked ‘resubmit’.

More information

• Research Projects
• Research Projects eLearning@RACP module
• Education policies

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

Requirement

Australia

• 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 and 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.

New Zealand

• For Advanced Trainees in 12-month positions: one Supervisor’s Report is to be submitted by 31 May for the first six months of the rotation and one Supervisor’s Report is to be submitted by 31 October covering the full 12 months.
• For Advanced Trainees in three, four, or six-month positions: one Supervisor’s Report must be completed for each rotation and submitted by 31 May (for rotations in the first half of the year) and 31 October (for rotations in the second half of the year).

Additional Requirements

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.

Progression to the next year of training is dependent upon the College receiving satisfactory Supervisor’s Report(s) covering the full year/period of training completed.

More Information

• Advanced Training Progress Reports
• Education Policies
• See Additional resources for Supervisor’s Reports