Group E: The Extension Group
Additional Training Time in GPST3
The Exit Group— Help & Support —if you need to extend your training
The CSA is a high stakes and should you be unsuccessful in the exam and reach the end of ST3 training, extensions to training are usually granted. We offer help and support to extension trainees to acheive exam success and complete CST through our Group E course.
Group E
Session 1– Why haven't I passed?
Session 2– Looking at exemplars
Session 3– Looking at our own videos
Session 4– Session with an Actor 1
Session 5– Looking at our own videos
Session 6– Session with an Actor 2
Session 7– looking at our own videos 3
Session 8– Session with an actor 3
Before the first session– Get going with the videos
Videos are the fundamental tool that you will use to improve on your CSA performance. Go and find the video camera in your practice, unpack the box, read the manual, check all the bits are there and become utterly familiar with its use. Learn how to record, playback. Order any clamps and stands you need. If this is shared amongst several trainees, is it worth buying your own stand/ clamp so that you can instantly set it up in your room? Do you need to ebay a wide angle lens attachment for better quality? Have you got enough tapes, or a big enough memory card?
Some trainees decide to make use of an iPad. These make lovely videos with good sound, but are intriguing to your paediatric patients. Whatever you use, it is at risk of destruction from gravity and/or your patients, so make sure your stand and cables are utterly secure, and if they must pass across the floor, make sure you safely secure them with gaffer tape.
Check your video recordings for "technical merit". Arrange your room so that you can see both parties (or more) in the consultation from a side on view- you may have to adjust either the camera or the seating so that patients can't easily move the chair out of view. Check the video for sound quality- sometimes a desk microphone is needed.
Get yourself a supply of video consent sheets from the RCGP and make sure they are to hand.
In your diary, and on the practice system, set yourself some regular time for video recording (we suggest the same morning each week) and some regular time for review (either in your personal study time, tutorial time, or personal time or all 3). We are not going to look at videos until session 3, but you need have spent some time analysing your own consultations before the first session.
Session 1– Why haven't I passed?
In this session, we establish some group rules, and plan our following sessions. Bring along your RCGP feedback, and we will look at these reports in the group, ponder their meaning and help plan your development. We look at models of group feedback, make an honest assessment of our abilities and needs, to move you from "Why haven't I passed&63;" to "How I am going to pass".
Session 2– Looking at exemplars
In this session we look at the RCGP example materials. What are the expectations of the college examiners? How do they construct the cases for the exam. We look at misconceptions and myths and generate some of our own cases for the future sessions.
Session 3– Looking at our own videos
We review the methods for analysing videos and review and critique each others videos to help our development, and how you can work on video review back in practice
Session 4– Session with an Actor 1
Using pre-prepared materials, we take turns in developing our CSA skills with a specialist medical actor, trained in consultation development and feedback, to get hints and tips from the patient perspective on improving our skills
Session 5– Looking at our own videos 2
Session 6– Session with an Actor 2
Session 7– looking at our own videos 3
Session 8– Session with an actor 3
Group E Files
Click filename to download
