Am I eligible to enrol for the DipUKMP?
If you have a confirmed placement in the NHS, through the MTI scheme of a participating Royal College (RCP London or RCPCH) and will be working for at least 12 months, then you will most likely be eligible. There are occasional exceptions and if you think that your work is unusual, or doesn’t resemble UK specialty training, then please e-mail to check (an example would be post-CCT fellowships or paediatric subspecialties, where we most likely need additional information on the training post to ensure assessment is fair and appropriate).
Can I enrol for the DipUKMP if I am working in the NHS outside of an MTI programme?
No, unfortunately the programme is restricted to those working through MTI schemes of participating Colleges, as doctors are assessed by the Royal Colleges for the DipUKMP.
Is the DipUKMP credit-bearing? (Does it lead to credits towards a Master’s programme?)
No, the DipUKMP is a professional diploma. This means that it is a standalone, postgraduate qualification, but does not carry credits towards a Master’s programme.
Does the DipUKMP contribute towards a certificate of completed training/entry onto the specialist register?
The DipUKMP provides evidence of high achievement over one year of NHS work and gives a professional qualification. There are several routes to entry onto the specialist register, including through a formal specialist training programme and “specialty equivalence”, which involves provision of a portfolio of evidence of equivalent training. The DipUKMP could form part of such a portfolio. We refer you to the GMC website for further, up to date, information on this.
The key benefits to undertaking the DipUKMP are:
- Being able to demonstrate that you have met a high standard of performance in a training post
- Evidence that you have engaged widely in NHS work, not limited to clinical practice
- Ensuring, through the DipUKMP framework, that you are trained, supported and assessed in at least as rigorous a way as your UK counterparts
- Support in achieving high standards of work in reflective practice, medical education and clinical governance/quality improvement work.
- Award of a postgraduate-level qualification that will evidence your high standard of performance and may support career progression.
What should I do as soon as I enrol?
You will be sent log in details and need to access the online Virtual Learning Environment, “Brightspace”. Here, you will find all the information you need to support completion and it is also here that you submit your written assignment, near to your assessment deadline. Start by watching the video on the homepage, that takes you through how to navigate the VLE and access all the relevant information on the DipUKMP programme. Then download and read the student handbook, which explains the programme in detail and gives instructions on writing the assignment.
Should I inform my educational supervisor that I am considering enrolling or have enrolled for the DipUKMP?
Yes, you should definitely involve your educational supervisor (and clinical supervisors if relevant). Your supervisors need to know that you are working towards the DipUKMP so that they can support you and do what is required. Download the guidance for educational supervisors and the supervisors’ check list from Brightspace and discuss it with your supervisor early in the placement. Make sure that you organise at least the minimum required number of meetings with your supervisor, so that you can complete your assessment.
How can I contact other doctors on this programme?
Brightspace, the Virtual Learning Environment, has discussion boards, where you can start a discussion about a particular topic, for example the written assignment, reflective practice and reflective e-portfolio entries.
Which e-portfolio should I use? Does LSTM have one specifically for the DipUKMP?
All MTI doctors are provided with access to the e-portfolio used by their UK counterparts (NHS e-portfolio from RCP and Kaizen e-portfolio from RCPCH). You should use this from the very start of your placement, to log activity, supervision meetings, training, feedback on clinical and teaching work in exactly the same way as your UK counterparts – please ask them for help if you are struggling!
You must use the e-portfolio to demonstrate that you have met the requirements of an ARCP at your grade and specialty (see ARCP decision aids) and also the learning outcomes of the DipUKMP (see handbook). Make sure you start early, getting assessments logged, for example case based discussions, acute care assessment tools, directly observed procedural skills.
You need to show that you have done some work in medical education (teaching, for example planning a teaching programme, delivering a session that is then evaluated) and in quality improvement or clinical governance work (eg an audit).
There is no other e-portfolio that you need to use.
Your e-portfolio should be ready for assessment at the same time you submit your written assignment (by the individual deadline given to you on enrolment). The Colleges then access your e-portfolio to assess whether you have met the learning outcomes for the DipUKMP.
What should be the topic for the written assignment?
Look carefully at the guidance on writing the assignment – you can download this from Brightspace and much of the information is also in the handbook. You are required to write a 2500 word reflective assignment on one of the three learning areas of the Diploma: clinical practice, medical education and clinical governance/quality improvement work.
It must demonstrate reflection on your own work (or that of your team): reflective practice is a key area of NHS work and there are resources on reflective practice on Brightspace to help you. You must reference relevant material, for example published guidance on conducting audit; the standards against which you are auditing; medical education literature. The marking scheme is also shared, in the handbook, so you can see how your assignment will be marked.
Examples of previous topics include:
- Reflections on team work on an audit project
- My role as medical registrar – developing clinical practice in a new setting
- An experience of clinical exposure in the United Kingdom medical practice; challenges, outcomes, suggestions for trusts.
- Developing a ward-based teaching programme for Foundation doctors – reflection and evaluation.
What evidence of work in medical education should I provide?
There are a number of ways to evidence work in medical education. The simplest is to plan and deliver a teaching session and use the teaching observation assessment form in the e-portfolio. Alternatively, you can plan and deliver a teaching session and collect feedback from participants. For those using medical education work as their assignment topic, you may have planned a series of educational sessions, for example for those preparing for membership exams, or for Foundation trainees and you can reflect on the success of this, including feedback. There are many other ways to evidence education, including courses, written educational material, participation in bedside teaching and teaching rotas. Attending teaching would not be sufficient for this.
When is my assessment deadline?
Your deadline is assigned on enrolment. There are three deadlines per year – in November, March and July – and you will be assigned one of these; normally the one prior to 18 months from the start of your work placement. If you are unsure of your deadline, please email dipukmp@lstmed.ac.uk
When will I get my result?
Once you have submitted your assignment and prepared your e-portfolio for assessment, it takes some weeks for marking to take place. Marks are reviewed at the Board of Examiners meeting, normally 6-8 weeks after the assessment deadline and then ratified at the Audit Committee meeting. Marks will therefore normally be communicated to students 2 - 3 months after the deadline. For those who have passed, certificates will be sent by post to the address provided (including non-UK addresses).
What if I do not pass the first time?
If you do not pass one of the assessments (written assignment or e-portfolio) then you will be given one opportunity to resit. The deadline for resubmission will normally be the next available assessment deadline (in November, March or July).
Individual feedback will be given to the student, to help in resubmitting the assignment or e-portfolio and addressing gaps or reasons for not meeting the standard.
For the e-portfolio, please be aware that if you do not pass because you have not undertaken sufficient activity to meet the requirements, then it may be difficult to improve, particularly if your placement is nearing completion. We cannot extend placements to allow for more time to complete the e-portfolio. However, you may be able to improve the e-portfolio by documenting activity that has been done, but not previously evidenced.
Is the DipUKMP awarded for particular subspecialties, for example cardiology?
No, the DipUKMP is the same award regardless of training grade or specialty. You will present it on your CV alongside details of your training, and you will be able to download and keep your e-portfolio to evidence work done.
With a particularly high standard of work, can I be awarded DipUKMP with merit or distinction?
No, the DipUKMP is pass/fail only.