1.2 Completing training activities

1.2 Completing training activities

• Trainees must be supported to complete training activities and meet the progression requirements of the programme. Completing training activities should be the subject of an ongoing conversation between the trainee, training officer and assessors.
• Training activities will be completed over time as trainees demonstrate growth and development in their practice to generate the evidence required for each activity.
• There is no set time for how long an individual training activity should take.
• Training activities must be successfully completed. However, the training activity does not need to be successfully completed the first time a trainee submits the activity for assessment.
• Any reasonable adjustment made to facilitate trainees completing tasks in the workplace, should also be applied when the trainee is undertaking training activities.

1.2.1 Types of training activity

• There are 3 types of training activity: entrustable training activities, observational training activities and developmental training activities.
• Each training activity’s type will be specified in the specialty curriculum.
• Full details about each type of training activity are outlined in ‘1.3 Types of training activity’.

1.2.2 Generating evidence for training activities

• The purpose of evidence is to demonstrate to an assessor that a trainee has successfully completed a training activity. Evidence submitted must meet the minimum requirements for the specific type of training activity (see ‘1.3 Types of training activity’).
• Evidence should be personal to the trainee and specific to their experience including dated, concrete examples of their own observations, experiences, reflections, or practice. Wherever possible evidence should include items generated by the trainee in the course of their practice, demonstrating that the trainee is learning to do the job in their workplace. Evidence should not be something trainees have to generate independently from practice, nor should it be a significant additional workload for trainees.
• Evidence should document the trainee’s learning journey. It is good practice to gather evidence from the beginning of the journey. Evidencing the development of practice is important to demonstrate the depth of a trainee’s experience. Only submitting examples of when things ‘went well’ does not allow the assessor to get a full picture of the trainee’s learning journey. Significant learning is often achieved through problem-solving and reflection when things did not go as planned.
• All evidence trainees wish to be considered should be documented in the e-portfolio. Evidence may include trainee’s interactions with their training officer, assessor, or other healthcare professionals such as observations of practice or discussions and these should be appropriately captured and recorded in the e-portfolio.
• Trainees must undertake the activities required for training activities while they are on the programme even if they have completed the same activity prior to joining the programme. Reflections required for evidence can refer to trainees’ experience prior to starting the programme; for example, a trainee may reflect on how they have performed a technique in a different way with a previous employer. However, completion of the activity prior to starting the programme cannot be used to evidence that the trainee has completed a training activity.
• Additional information which may help trainees generating evidence is provided for each training activity in the Curriculum Library. This information is provided for guidance only; trainees are not required to provide evidence for each element included.
  • For OTAs – trainees may find the considerations a helpful guide for areas to focus on when undertaking observation and reflection. The aims of considerations is to support trainees to build a wider picture of practice beyond the immediate task they are observing. As they are generic not every consideration will be relevant to every observation.
  • For DTAs and ETAs – reflective practice guidance is provided to support individualised reflection through different time points to meet the requirements. The guidance is a suggestion only; trainees can select the questions or prompts that are most appropriate or use other approaches to reflection if preferred.
• Completion of training activities prepares trainees to complete DOPS, OCEs, and CBDs. Completion of these in-person assessments cannot be used as evidence for training activities.
• Training activities draw on knowledge provided by the academic component of the programme, allowing trainees to put this knowledge into practice and develop the skills, understanding behaviours and attitudes required for post-programme practice. Evidence should therefore demonstrate the contextualised application of knowledge to the trainee’s own experience and practice, not simply that the trainee possesses knowledge they have gained from academic teaching or other sources.
• Generative artificial intelligence can be used to complete a training activity where it is appropriate to the activity being undertaken and acceptable to the workplace i.e., where it used as a tool used to do the job. Its application should be clearly acknowledged. Generative artificial intelligence should not be used solely to generate personal items of evidence such as reflections.