Your Echocardiography trainee has arrived; what’s next? — Accreditation

It is important to be aware of the academic delivery model before a trainee starts, as programmes may begin with the trainee attending the university early in their employment. In these cases, trainees should ideally have at least a few days of familiarisation within the clinical department before starting at the university.

The first month of the clinical training period is crucial. Much of the trainee’s impression of the department will be formed during the first few days. It creates a positive start if they find everything prepared and ready when they arrive. This also benefits the department, as it prevents staff from spending time and effort on last-minute preparations.

Share with the trainee what you have planned

Send the training plan to the trainee in advance

Before the trainee starts, provide them with a copy of the outline training plan. Best practice would be to email a draft to the trainee one week before they start and ask them to review it and provide any comments.

Initial ‘meet and greet’ with the trainee

Ideally, the Training Co-ordinator or Training Officer should meet with the trainee during the first few days, as early as possible after induction. The initial meeting provides an opportunity to ensure that the trainee fully understands the role and function of the department(s). Supporting materials should be provided to the trainee, for example, documents or slides describing the department’s work that have been produced for other occasions. This may also be an opportunity for the trainee to meet other new or existing trainees.

Schedule a planning meeting

You may wish to combine this initial meeting with a planning session or schedule a separate meeting soon afterwards. During this session, the main focus should be on discussing the training schedule. The aim is to ensure that the plan you have developed is practical and achievable. This should include ensuring that you have accounted for the academic timetable and any planned annual leave. Make it clear during the first meeting that there is scope for flexibility and that changes in circumstances can be reflected through revisions to the plan.

The meeting may also explore opportunities for the trainee to attend operational, clinical, or governance meetings, as well as any relevant conferences. Conference costs should be discussed, as the trainee may need to identify and apply for their own funding.

During the meeting, you should also agree dates for subsequent one-to-one meetings between the Training Officer and trainee. The output from the planning meeting should ideally be an agreed action plan that sets out early milestones, including targets and dates for the competencies expected to be achieved.

Share your understanding of the training roles

Review the training plan and the training role descriptions with the trainee. The Training Officer may act as the assessor for all training activities or may delegate this responsibility to other experienced team members. Ideally, provide the trainee with the names and contact details of the staff members who will undertake each role.

With these named staff members, review the requirements and ensure they are prepared to undertake the specified tasks. If staff members are new to OneFile or require a refresher, recommend that they watch the range of short ‘How to’ videos covering the different functions of OneFile. Remember that access will only be provided once a member of staff has been nominated by the trainee.

Where possible, provide practical examples of the various assessments and establish a shared understanding within the department of the expected standard of evidence and the acceptable timescale for responses.

Before a trainee nominates their assessors on OneFile, they must discuss and agree appropriate assessors with their Training Officer. When the trainee’s activity is periodically reviewed on OneFile, the Training Officer must review the nominated assessors to confirm that they remain appropriate to act as assessors and that they have carried out their role effectively.

Identify a buddy and/or mentor

As well as the formal training roles, best practice would be to identify a ‘buddy’ from among existing staff or other trainees, someone who already knows the department reasonably well and can support the trainee in an informal pastoral capacity. Another valuable asset would be a mentor, someone who has already gone through BSE Accreditation and can advise from recent experience. Many employers have a mentoring training programme that you can tap into to ensure trainees and mentors get the most from the experience. Provide the trainee with details of any essential contacts in the region, and ensure they know the identity and contact details of the relevant Training Programme Director at the school.

When the trainee starts

Provide them with a workspace

On the first day of clinical practice all the necessary physical arrangements should be in place and ready for use:

a desk
equipment (calibrated and working)
a security badge or pass
a workspace PC/laptop with all necessary software and network connections
provision for possessions (such as a personal locker)

Trainees should also be made aware from the outset of practical arrangements e.g. policies on reimbursement of expenses.

Provide an induction

You may already have a standard process for welcoming new trainees and staff into the department. Induction should include an introduction to the organisation, covering practical matters such as pay and conditions, annual leave, health and safety, and mandatory training. As part of the induction, the trainee should meet with their line manager and key people within the department and organisation, be shown where operational policies can be found, and be given a tour of the workplace.

The trainee may be new to the area, so best practice is to provide them with a document containing useful local information about the hospital and wider area. Hospital maps showing key amenities are particularly useful.

Tasters – departments and tasks

Consider providing an orientation programme so that, from the outset, the trainee can see the range of tasks undertaken by your department and gain an overview of any other departments with which you have regular contact. The trainee should develop as full an understanding as possible of how the department’s work fits within the wider organisation.

Have specific activities timetabled for the first few days

It can be frustrating for a new trainee starting a placement to have no specific activities planned, for example, being asked to spend the first day reading policies or guidelines. A good timetable should include practical tasks, such as setting up or calibrating equipment and observing tests, to help the trainee settle in and feel actively engaged.

Ensure the trainee attends the ETP Induction

All ETP trainees are invited to a national induction organised by the National School of Healthcare Science. If the trainee has joined your department before this event takes place, you should ensure that they attend.

Discuss expectations with the trainee

Take time at the outset to discuss what is expected of the trainee. Topics to cover should include:

The expectation that they will be proactive in organising their own training.
Their responsibility for managing their training and academic workload, and for submitting work for assessment at appropriate intervals throughout the training period.
Although they have been recruited to a national training scheme, their contract of employment is with the trust, and they are expected to follow all normal requirements for departmental staff, for example professionalism, conduct, and notification of absence.
Patient focus is central to the programme, and throughout their training they should seek opportunities to understand the impact of their work on patients.
While the department is committed to supporting their training, they should understand the constraints of working in a busy department and be mindful of staff time and resources when seeking support from colleagues.
Their responsibility for acting ethically and their need to be aware of the Health and Care Professions Council’s guidance on conduct and ethics for students.

You should also be clear about what you will undertake to do. For example, a frequent source of anxiety for trainees is delays in receiving feedback on training activities submitted through OneFile. You should agree reasonable timescales and commit to meeting them; ideally, feedback should be provided within 2 weeks and no later than 4 weeks. Trainees may feel that their work needs to be perfect before submission or may assume that write-ups should include a large amount of theoretical background. Encourage trainees to submit evidence early to receive feedback and establish what is required. You should also remember that trainees are not expected to be competent in their specialty at the start of their training.

Keep it relevant

There is a risk that training can become a tick-box exercise. Ensure that trainees complete work that is meaningful and useful to the employer. Involvement in project work, equipment commissioning, audits of clinical procedures, and similar activities can often contribute to multiple training activities. Look for opportunities to give the trainee’s work wider recognition within the department, for example, by asking trainees to present their work at departmental meetings.

At the end of the first month

Ideally, your first review of progress should take place no later than the end of the first month. However, the timing may vary depending on academic timetables, and trainees may only spend a short period in the department before attending their university. If this occurs, the review should take place after the first significant period of time the trainee spends in the department.

A typical review would cover:

how the trainee is settling in
how the physical arrangements are working
a report from the trainee on their progress with academic work
any issues with the training plan or adjustments required
feedback from you on the trainee’s professionalism and fitness to practise
an update from the trainee on progress, including work being prepared for submission in OneFile
feedback from others in the department; the more feedback you can obtain during the first month, the better
confirmation that the trainee has completed any mandatory training required by your organisation