Revalidation requirements for doctors in training
This section sets out the requirements for doctors in training.
3.1 Engaging in processes that support revalidation
You revalidate by engaging in your training programme.
This means you must:
- engage in and meet the assessment and curriculum requirements of your training programme
- discuss your progress and learning needs with your educational supervisors, including any practice you do outside of your training programme.
Your connection
Your responsible officer is usually your postgraduate dean. They will usually make a revalidation recommendation to us every five years, confirming you are up to date and fit to practise. They base this recommendation on your participation in the Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP) process, or equivalent. Your revalidation does not depend on successful progression through training. An adverse training outcome does not mean you won’t be revalidated, provided you remain fit to practise within your scope of practice.
We do not expect you to participate in additional whole practice appraisals, or to collect additional supporting information that is not already a requirement of your training programme or curriculum.
If you do any additional practice that requires a licence, outside your training programme posts (for example, locum work or private practice), you must discuss this with your responsible officer (or educational supervisor on their behalf) and declare it as part of the documentation for your ARCP. You may also need to provide details of the responsible officers at other places where you work. This will allow your responsible officer to get feedback on your work as a whole and gain assurance that you are fit to practise.
You must inform your responsible officer of any fitness to practise concerns, complaints about you or significant events you’re involved in from across your whole practice. This includes practice outside your training posts.
3.2 What to do when you take a break from training?
If you take an approved break from training and keep your national training number you remain connected to your training body, and your postgraduate dean remains your responsible officer.
If you leave training and do not have a national training number you will no longer have a connection to a training body, and the way that you revalidate will change. You must tell us if you have a new connection or not. You can use our connection tool to check this. You should update your details using your GMC Online account.
If you continue to hold a licence to practise you must meet our revalidation requirements at section 1. If you do not make a connection to another designated body, or a GMC approved suitable person (see section 2 for details), you must also meet the additional requirements at section 2.
You should always speak to your educational supervisor or responsible officer before taking a break to find out more about your specific situation. If you're planning a long break in practice, you may wish to consider temporarily giving up your licence. To avoid delays in getting your licence back, you should make sure you are familiar with our guidance and requirements for giving up and restoring your licence.
3.3 What to do when you complete your training?
Please ensure that your responsible officer has made a revalidation recommendation to us when you become eligible for your CCT and before updating your designated body connection in GMC Online.
You may be eligible for a period of grace following completion of training. This provides time for you to find employment. During your period of grace, your designated body and responsible officer remain the same. This continues until either you come to the end of the agreed period of grace, or you no longer have a national training number.
If you do not receive a recommendation before disconnecting from your training body, please speak to the revalidation team at your new designated body. You can find contact details on our A-Z list of designated bodies.
If you were going to be revalidated at the point you were eligible for your CCT, but this did not happen, your new responsible officer should consider making a recommendation to revalidate you. They’ll need to be assured you would have been revalidated at point of CCT. They must also be able to sign up to the revalidate statements outlined in The GMC protocol for making revalidation recommendations: Guidance for responsible officers and suitable persons.
