ST3 recruitment into medical specialties 2012 - MRCP(UK)
The Medical Programme Board considered
the question of recruitment to medical specialty ST3 posts, which
commence in August 2012, for which there is a requirement for
successful applicants to have full CMT competences, including all
parts of the MRCP(UK) to be able to take up their appointments.
Because a significant number of CMT trainees
do not have all parts of the MRCP(UK) when they apply for their ST3
post there is a risk that if they subsequently fail to pass the
PACES exam in the second diet (results available week commencing
23rd July 2012) then this will provide only one week’s warning of
rota vacancies, which will therefore provide a potential risk to
patient care.
The Medical Programme Board have therefore
decided that in 2012 applicants will be required to have passed the
full MRCP(UK) to be eligible to receive an offer of a ST3 post
(offers commence in the first week of May 2012). This will not
preclude trainees applying without full MRCP(UK) but they must have
passed the entire examination to be eligible to receive an offer.
If they do not pass the entire examination, then they will not
receive an offer.
For CMT 2 trainees who need to pass the PACES
exam, the last opportunity to enter the examination in order to be
eligible for ST3 entry in 2012 will therefore be the first week of
December 2011. For CMT2 trainees who need to pass the Part 2
written examination the last opportunity to enter this part of the
examination will be 7th October 2011.
MRCP (UK) and the JRCPTB have undertaken to make every effort to
allow CMT trainees to have sufficient attempts at all parts of the
examination in order to receive results in time to be eligible for
ST3 entry in August 2012. GMC approval has been granted in
principle to explore the earlier release of PACES results and the
feasibility of an earlier retake if necessary.