Training in Clinincal Pharmacology and Therapeutics (CPT) is defined in the specialty training curriculum (see below), and is usually combined with training as a general physician. The required competencies build on core training including acute medicine level 1, achieved in specialty training years 1 and 2. Core training and acute medicine competences build on foundation training. Key aspects include training in undertaking and interpreting clinical investigations including clinical trials; optimising the therapeutic use of drugs; detection and analysis of adverse drug effects; contribution to medicines evaluation; and management of poisoning. Trainees will usually develop a clinical specialty interest (eg cardiovascular risk management, toxicology).
The main careers in CPT are:
Academic: senior lecturer/ reader/ professor in a medical school with an honorary NHS consultant contract. Most CPT academics have a subspecialty interest such as hypertension, oncology, epilepsy, gastroenterology, paediatrics etc.
- NHS consultant. There are a few NHS consultant jobs in pure CPT, including ones in Poisons Units. Many more trained clinical pharmacologists have NHS consultant jobs in other specialties such as general acute medicine or cardiovascular medicine. CPT expertise is often put to use in drug and therapeutics committees, research ethics committees and formulary committees. Such a consultant typically spends about half their time in supervision of acute medical admissions, responsibility for medical inpatients and running outpatient clinics.
- Pharmaceutical industry.
- Drug regulation (eg MHRA).
Individuals interested in an academic career should consider applying for an academic clinical fellowship (ACF), particularly one that provides exposure to CPT. Some such trainees will use their academic time to prepare an application for funding for a research fellowship (eg from MRC, Wellcome, BHF) leading to a PhD and subsequently apply for an academic clinical lecturer appointment. This will provide a well defined academic career path. CPT provides one of the few academic disciplines that combines naturally with retaining a wide generalist interest in therapeutics across the span of general medicine.
Careers outside academia or the NHS can also be intellectually stimulating and rewarding and the pharmaceutical industry and the drug regulatory bodies have a particular interest in recruiting trained clinical pharmacologists.
Competence Based Curricula and Assessment - StRs (for trainees who commenced training from 1 August 2007 to present)
There are two versions of curricula for this training period:
StRs who commenced training between 1st August 2007 and 3rd August 2010 will follow the 2007 version of their specialty curriculum and the 2007 Generic curriculum. Please see the 2007 Curriculum section of this webpage
StRs who commenced training from 4th August 2010 onwards will use the 2010 version of their specialty curriculum. There is no need to follow the previously known ‘Generic curriculum' as this has now been embedded into the specialty curriculum. Please see the 2010 Curriculum section of this webpage.
The Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board (JRCPTB) is pleased to announce the 2010 Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics curriculum which has been reviewed and rewritten to:
- meet the GMC's 6 new standards as detailed in their Standards for Curricula and Assessment systems
- keep up to date with medical advances and changes in the service and training
- incorporate the framework documents produced by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC) detailing Common, Medical Leadership and Health inequality competencies
- include 5 new assessment methods (Acute Care Assessment Tool, Case based Discussion, Patient Survey, Teaching Observation and Audit Assessment).
This new curriculum has improved content, design and usability compared to its predecessors, and reflects a great deal of hard work and time expended by specialty curriculum groups. This curriculum will become the training manual for all trainees entering ST3 from 4th August 2010.
For further information on the 2010 curriculum it is recommended that you read the Quick Start Curriculum Guide.
Revision of 2010 curriculum (November 2011)
Since August 2010 the CPT curriculum has been revised to include an increased number of ‘advanced specialist area modules' available to trainees in order to expand the number of topics in which a trainee can gain in depth knowledge and gain unique specialist skills to function at an expert level.
The following advanced specialty area modules are now offered;
- Hypertension (new module)
- Toxicology (new module)
- Clinical trials research (based on the clinical trials module previously offered)
- Research module (new module but can include first in man studies and advanced statistical analysis previously offered.
If you have any queries or problems regarding the 2010 curriculum please email ptb@jrcptb.org.uk.
Core Training Programmes
Entry into Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics training is possible following successful completion of both a foundation programme and a core training programme.
There are 2 core training programmes for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics training:
Assessment
The following methods are used as part of the integrated assessment system:
- Knowledge Based Assessments - The small size of the specialty means that it is not feasible to run a full specialty certificate examination to assess knowledge. The specialty is currently planning to pilot a formative knowledge-based assessment method and, if successful, it is intended that this method will be used in the future - details to follow.
- Workplace-based assessments
The assessment blueprint, which is embedded in the clinical syllabus, shows the possible methods that can be used to assess each of the competencies in the curriculum. Trainees and trainers should refer to the blueprint for guidance on the appropriate assessment methods for each aspect of the curriculum, and so plan the training programme according to the criteria set by the ARCP Decision Aid. It is not expected that all competencies will be assessed by all methods, rather that there will be a sampling of competencies within a variety of settings, both within formal and workplace-based assessment, from which overall competence acquisition has to be determined.
The diagrams below describes the various training pathways:
Fig 1.1 CPT and GIM pathway
Fig 1.2 Other clinical specialty pathway
Fig 1.3 Academic pathway
Fig 1.4 Primary care pathway
Please view the 2010 curriculum for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics for full details on the training routes and selection criteria.
Entry into Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics training is possible following successful completion of both a Foundation Programme and a core training programme.
Please view the 2007 curriculum for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics for full details on the training routes and selection criteria.
Assessment
The assessment blueprints show the possible methods that can be used to assess each of the competencies in the curriculum. Trainees and trainers should refer to the blueprints for guidance on the appropriate assessment methods for each aspect of the curriculum, and so plan the training programme according to the criteria set by the ARCP/RITA Decision Aid. It is not expected that all competencies will be assessed by all methods, rather that there will be a sampling of competencies within a variety of settings, both within formal and workplace-based assessment, from which overall competence acquisition has to be determined.
Further information on the various methods of assessment can be viewed in the Assessment section of this website.
The diagram below describes the training pathways in general terms.
Competence Based Curricula - SpR (for trainees who commenced training between 1 Jan 2003 and 31 July 2007)
The JCHMT introduced revised curricula for all the medical specialties together with a generic curriculum that applied to all trainees back in 2003. These are competence-based and set out the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be acquired by trainees before they may be awarded a CCT.
Curricula - SpR (for trainees who commenced training before 1 Jan 2003)
The curricula for trainees enrolling pre 01/01/03 are no longer available on the website but can be obtained by request to ptb@jrcptb.org.uk