Common Acronyms - Acronyms - A-Z Lists of Information for Trainers, Trainees and Programme Directors - Sheffield VTS

Glossary of Common Acronyms and GP Training Terms

There are a number of acronyms used in Primary Care and by the GPSTP with which you may not be familiar. Below you will find explanations and links to pages/websites which will provide you with more information on the subject.

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ACO - Association of Course Organisers: national group that supports the development of Course Organisers www.aco.org.uk

AKT - Applied Knowledge Test - a summative assessment of the knowledge base that underpins independent general practice within the United Kingdom. AKT

APD - Associate Postgraduate Dean: a senior member of the Deanery team who supervises provision of training in GP or other specialities (people doing a very similar job in other Deaneries have a different name)

Appraisal, NHS - A yearly one to one conversation between a doctor and a nominated appraiser, which encourages continuing personal and professional development over the coming year, which helps in the formation of a personal development plan.

ARCP - Annual Review of competence progression an annual panel review of speciality trainee competence progression - ARCP

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BJGP - British Journal of General Practice: published by the RCGP (Royal College of General Practitioners) and a major source for clinical updating. BJGP

BMA - British Medical Association: Several functions including being the doctors trade union/negotiating organisation but also publishes BMJ and has input on quality control and ethics in Medicine
www.bma.org.uk

BNF - British National Formulary: jointly produced guidelines on NHS eligible drugs and prescribing www.bnf.org

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CbD - Case-based Discussion - forms part of workplace based assessment. CBD

CC - Calgary Cambridge: system for reviewing consultations developed jointly in Calgary and Cambridge www.gp-training.net/training/communication_skills/calgary/guide.htm

CCT - Certificate of Completion of Training

CCET - Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Executive Team - consists of the NHS Sheffield ET, PBC consortia leads and the Clinical Executive members.

CHS - Child Health Surveillance

Clinical Executive - (formerly the PEC) a small group of very experienced Sheffield doctors, a nurse, and a pharmacist, who are helping to lead improvements in health services in the city. Also members of the CCET.

Clinical Supervisor (CS) - The clinical educator responsible for teaching and supervising the GPStR in training in the individual attachment. This may be a hospital clinical supervisor when the GPStR is in a hospital attachment and a GP trainer when in General Practice.

CME - Continuing Medical Education

CO - Course Organiser: one of the people employed part-time by the Deanery to run the GPSTP now known as Programme Directors

COGPED - Committee of GP Educational Directors: the national meeting point for the Directors from each Deanery www.cogped.org.uk

COPMeD - Conference of Postgraduate Medical Deans www.copmed.org.uk

COT - Consultation Observation Tool - an assessment of consultation skills using either observation of consultations or video. COT

CPD - Continuing Professional Development

CSA - Clinical Skills Assessment - an assessment of a doctor's ability to integrate and apply appropriate clinical, professional, communication and practical skills in general practice. CSA

CSR - Clinical Supervisors Report which is completed by consultants and GP Trainers at end of each hospital post.

Curriculum (GP) - A statement of the intended aims and objectives, content, experiences, outcomes and processes of a programme, including a description of the structure and expected methods of learning, teaching, feedback and supervision. The curriculum should set out what knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours the learner will achieve. GP Curriculum

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Deanery - The regional unit of postgraduate medical education delivery, supervised by a Postgraduate Dean. Yorkshire & The Humber Deanery

DEN - Doctors Educational Need - PUNs an DENs

DOH - Department of Health www.dh.gov.uk

DOPS - Direct Observation of Procedural Skills - designed to provide feedback on procedural skills essential to the provision of good clinical care. DOPS

DPGPE - Director of Postgraduate General Practice Education (may be called the GP Dean). The senior doctor responsible for all postgraduate GP education and training in a Deanery. Yorkshire & The Humber Deanery

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Educational Contract - The contract given to a GPStR at the start of a training post which explains what particular educational training and experience the post should give to the trainee.

ePortfolio - An electronic record of specialty training, updated and accessible through the internet. It records details of achievement in the AKT and CSA and documents all stages of training, records evidence of WPBA reviews with educational supervisors and the subsequent development as a General Practitioner. ePortfolio

ES - Educational Supervisor - person who is responsible for overall supervision of training programme for a GPR must be a GP, will meet 2-3 times per year with the supervisees

EURACT - European Academy of Teachers in General Practice - EURACT

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Formative Assessment - The process of individual review of a GP Registrar's educational and training needs at the commencement and during training, so that the training addresses the issues necessary to achieve a CCT.

Foundation year 1 (F1) and Foundation year 2 (F2) make up the two-year Foundation Programme which all UK medical graduates are required to undertake before progressing to specialty or GP training.
Foundation Training

FP - Family Planning - FP Association

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GMC - General Medical Council - merged with PMETB (Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board) 1 August 2010 - GMC

GMP - Good Medical Practice - GMP

Gold Guide - A guide for deaneries to all aspects of specialty training. Will replace the previous orange and green guides. Gold Guide

GPC - General Practitioners Committee - part of the BMA’s representation structures - GPC

GPEC - General Practice Education Committee – a deanery committee that manages GP education and has representation from all levels of GP educator and trainee.

GPSTP - GP Specialty Training Programme - formerly known as VTS

GPStR - General Practice Specialty Registrar (formerly GPR) - junior doctor in any one of three years of specialty training for general practice.

GPwSI - GP with a special Interest; GP who also has approved specialist experience and is using this in either a primary or secondary care setting - NHS PCC website

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HJSC - Hospital Junior Staffs Committee – old name for the JDC, the Junior Doctors Committee

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IMG - International Medical Graduate
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JCPTGP - Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training in General Practice. PMETB took over the functions of the JCPTGP on 30 September 2005. See GMC above.

JDC - Junior Doctors Committee - refer to BMA website for full information on the remit of this Committee
www.bma.org.uk/ap.nsf/Content/Hubukjuniordoctorscommittee

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LES - Local Enhanced Service; contract available to GPs and others to provide a service additional to the basic contract locally defined terms - LES

LMC - Local Medical Committee: the GP’s local political/trade union organisation
www.sheffield-lmc.org.uk

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MADEL - Medical and Dental Education Levy – funding held by DPGPEs to pay for GP training.

MDDUS - Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland - see also MDU and MPS www.mddus.com

MDU - Medical Defence Union - see also MPS and MDDUS www.the-mdu.com

Mini-CEX - Mini-Clinical Evaluation eXercise is a 15 minute snapshot of doctor/patient interaction. It is designed to assess the clinical skills attitudes and behaviours of trainees. Replaces COT in hospital posts. mini-CEX

MMC - Modernising Medical Careers: the white paper that set up the review of the SHO grade and the creation of the F2 year, etc - MMC

MPIG - Minimum Practice Income Guarantee: baseline defined so that if the new contract does not provide from maintenance of the income of a practice then the income will not drop below this figure - MPIG

MPS - Medical Protection Society see also MDDUS and MDU www.mps.org.uk

MRCGP - The assessment system for UK trained doctors wishing to obtain a CCT (Certificate of Completion of Training) in General Practice. Satisfactory completion of the scheme will allow entrance to the General Medical Council's GP Register and confer eligibility for membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP). It has three components, AKT, CSA and WPBA. MRCGP

MSF - Multi-Source provides a sample of attitudes and opinions of colleagues on the clinical performance and professional behaviour of the GPStR. It helps to provide data for reflection on performance and gives useful feedback for self-evaluation - MSF

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NACT - National Association of Clinical Tutors - NACT

NAPCE - National Association of Primary Care Educators: national body representing CPD tutors and some GPSTP PDs as well www.napce.org.uk

NES - National Enhanced Service; contract available to GPs and others to provide a service additional to the basic contract Nationally defined terms. NES

NHS Appraisal - A yearly one to one conversation between a doctor and a nominated appraiser, which encourages continuing personal and professional development over the coming year, which helps in the formation of a personal development plan.

nMRCGP - replaced MRCGP and Summative Assessment for new trainees from August 2007 - see MRCGP

NPSA - National Patient Safety Agency - NPSA

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PBC - Practice based commissioning system for practices working collaboratively to commission services and get best deal for local population - PBC

PD - Programme Director - new name for Course Organiser

PDP - Personal Development Plan - PDP

PEC - Professional Executive Committee; now called Clinical Executive

PMETB - Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board; (merged with the GMC 1 April 2010)
www.gmc-uk.org/education/postgraduate/6496.asp#cert

PSQ - Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire - provides feedback to GPStRs by providing a measure of the patient’s opinion of the doctor’s relationship and empathy during a consultation - PSQ

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QOF - Quality Outcomes Frame work; the system by which GPs can gain increased rewards for hitting nationally defined targets - QOF

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RCGP - Royal College of General Practitioners: responsible for the entrance exam to GP and maintaining GP professional standards www.rcgp.org.uk

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SCH - Sheffield Childrens' Hospital

SLA - Service Level Agreement - Definition of what services are provided under any NHS commissioning / contracting process

SHSC - Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust; providers of community nursing and mental health services locally

South Yorkshire Office: one of 3 regional offices within the Yorkshire and the Humber Postgraduate Deanery, to which the Sheffield GPSTP reports

SPD - Senior Programme Director: the person who runs the Sheffield GPSTP and is not regularly involved in teaching (NB not all schemes have this arrangement)

ST1, ST2, ST3: Specialty Training Programme year 1, 2, 3

STHT - Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust: ie Royal Hallamshire (RHH), Northern General (NGH), Weston Park Hospital, Jessop Wing, etc.

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UKCEA - United Kingdom Conference of Educational Advisers; the national body for APDs - NAPCE

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VTS - Vocational Training Scheme - now known as GP Specialty Training Programme, GPSTP

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WPBA - Work Placed Based Assessments Includes things like COT and CbD and DOPS as well as MSF, PSQ