RCPsych: Review Periods & Stages of Training Explained

What is a Review Period?

A Review Period is or covers a set date range in training that Learning Logs, Assessments and Feedback Surveys are attached to, within the Resident Doctor's Portfolio. 

Learning created within a Review Period is collated/reviewed as it is added, and an Educational Supervisor's Review (ESR) is held with the Educational Supervisor to discuss the Resident Doctor's progress, and set goals for the next Review Period. The review period is locked to further editing, when the Educational Supervisor signs it off.

Educational, Clinical and Psychiatric supervisors can all be given access to this, for the date range it cover. 

Any Assessors completing assessments via one off invites, are not linked to Review Periods.

How long is a Review Period?

Typically a Review Period will typically be the same duration as a Post or around 6 months but it depends on the Resident Doctor's individual circumstances.

The start date of a Review Period will either be the date the Resident Doctor's training year starts or the first day after the Resident Doctor's last ESR meeting.

The end date will be the date of the Resident Doctor's ESR meeting with their Educational Supervisor when the ESR report is signed off.

Stages of Training

A Stage of Training on your portfolio represents the curriculum year you are working in. It is set to cover the period of that stage (CT1-3 and ST1-8) on your portfolio. 

Stages of Training dictate what curricula is available to select on a Review Period and your Working Time Equivalent (WTE) percentage.

How Stages of Training and Review Periods work together

All Review Periods must be linked to a Stage of Training, though in one Stage of Training multiple Review Periods may exist chronologically.

Each Review Period will be titled with the Stage of Training and a 'Review Number' (for example the first Review Period in the Resident Doctor's first Stage of Training will be listed as CT1-1, the second CT1-2 etc)

Review Periods must follow sequentially on the trainee's map and two cannot exist at the same time or overlap in date.