Learning Outcomes and Training Program Handbooks 

The Curriculum Learning Outcomes document and Training Program Handbook are two integral resources underpinning the 2022 Training Programs. 

• Clinical Radiology Curriculum Learning Outcomes document
• Clinical Radiology Training Program Handbook

Transition Arrangements for Clinical Radiology

All trainees enrolled in the current program have transitioned to the 2022 Training Program. Transition information and scenarios have been developed that aim to minimise disruption and disadvantages for trainees.

Further details on transition to the 2022 Training Program are available below:

• Principles for Trainee Transition to the 2022 Clinical Radiology Training Program
• Transition to Phases of Training in the 2022 Clinical Radiology Training Program

CR Frequently Asked Questions 

Learning Outcomes and Training Program Handbooks

The Learning Outcomes document and Training Program Handbook are two integral resources underpinning the 2022 Training Programs. 

• Radiation Oncology Learning Outcomes document
• Radiation Oncology Training Program Handbook

Transition Arrangements for Radiation Oncology

All trainees enrolled in the current program have transitioned to the 2022 Training Program. Transition information and scenarios have been developed that aim to minimise disruption and disadvantages for trainees.

Further details on transition to the 2022 Training Program is outlined in the below documentation:

• RO Training Program Trainee Transition 
• RO Training Program Transition Formula by Cohort
• RO Training Program Trainee Transition Exam Eligibility
• RO Training Program Transition Case Reporting Credit

RO Frequently Asked Questions

As part of the transition from TIMS to the ePortfolio system, the College has been reviewing, and where required, performing appropriate updates to the ePortfolio platform:

Quality Assurance Checks

Quality Assurance (QA) checks have been performed on all trainee profiles. The QA check involved reviewing the transition principles, reviewing the transcript returned and completed by the trainee, and actioning and recording then actioning any discrepancies. The final upload was published on 22 March 2022. All transitioning trainees received communication from the College through the ePortfolio announcement system informing them of completion of the QA review.

TASS Forms

The deadline for trainees to submit their Trainee Assessment Summary Submissions (TASS) forms was has passed . All returned TASS forms have been processed. 

Further details on new and updated Training Program policies can be found below: 

Training Policies

TAR Resources

 A collection of resources has been developed to provide information pertaining to the launch of the Clinical Radiology and Radiation Oncology Training Programs in February 2022.

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Clinical Radiology

• Clinical Radiology 2022 Training Program Information Flyer
• Clinical Radiology 2022 Training Program Information PowerPoint Slide

Radiation Oncology 

• Radiation Oncology 2022 Training Program Information Flyer 
• Radiation Oncology 2022 Training Program Information PowerPoint Slide

Why Change the Current Programs?

RANZCR regularly reviews its education and training programs to ensure that the College is a model of best practice and remains contemporary and well prepared for the future.

In 2014, the College commissioned a review of its assessment and examination processes for Fellowship training. The review was conducted jointly by David Prideaux, Emeritus Professor of Medical Education at Flinders University, and the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). The purpose of the review was to evaluate the quality and sustainability of RANZCR’s assessment and examination program and to recommend strategies for improvement.

The recommendations for improvement put forward by the ACER-Prideaux review centered on two key concepts:

1. Constructive Alignment

Constructive alignment is about clearly articulating the learning objectives and learning outcomes of the training program and ensuring that they are aligned with the curriculum content, teaching strategies and assessment tasks. It is about ensuring a balance between theory and practice and having a well-defined framework of assessments and examinations to evaluate the learning outcomes. 

2. Programmatic Assessment

Programmatic assessment describes a strategy that recognises that competency develops over time. Frequent work-based assessments have been incorporated into the programs across a variety of activities and assessors which will allow us to capture data as a trainee progresses through each phase of training. By using multiple points and methods for assessment, a detailed picture of the trainee and their competencies develops and allows decisions about competency to be made on aggregate information from real-world assessments rather than just high-stakes exams.

Learn more about programmatic assessment

How Did We Develop the Enhanced Training Programs?

To implement the recommendations from the ACER-Prideaux review, the College initiated the Training and Assessment Reform (TAR) project and formed a Taskforce under the auspices of the College Board to oversee the Reform. Two Steering Committees were established for each faculty to oversee the review and develop the enhanced training programs with specific responsibilities including:

• Reviewing the learning outcomes to bring them up-to-date with current practice 
• Identifying assessment tools to ensure they are appropriate and able to capture the information required to determine if the expected outcomes have been reached. 
• Defining the purpose of each assessment and examination and relating them back to the overall learning outcomes 
• Determining the assessment framework so that a trainee’s performance is evaluated across a number of assessment tools. This will allow for the strengths and weaknesses of a trainee to be captured across multiple instruments and provide more comprehensive information about a trainee’s progress

There are also fifteen other program working groups (eight for Clinical Radiology and seven for Radiation Oncology) that were involved in reviewing the current curriculum, determining learning outcomes for the programs, evaluating whether existing assessments aligned to the program, and developing the most appropriate assessment tools to measure performance against the learning outcomes.

The Steering Committees reviewed the recommendations from all the working groups and consolidated them into an overall program for each specialty. The key to this work is to ensure that assessments are not onerous, but rather fit for purpose to measure identified outcomes and allow tracking of trainee progression. 

The College’s various exam panels and medical specialties were also consulted during the review process. Educational consultants were engaged to provide expert advice at both strategic and operational levels and to ensure that the revised training programs were fit for purpose. Stakeholder consultations were also undertaken at different stages throughout the review. 

Introduction of the ‘Entrustability Scale’

The enhanced training programs for both Clinical Radiology and Radiation Oncology will include work-based assessments (WBAs) which will allow supervisors to make judgements of trainee competency based on the level of supervision required when trainees perform a certain task.

The WBAs will be assessed using a new assessment tool called the Entrustability Scale which has been designed to assess the developing competency of trainees as they progress through training phases. The Entrustability Scale rates a trainee’s work-based performance and reflects how ready the clinical supervisor feels the trainee is for independent clinical practice. The scale spans four levels of competency, with the different levels of the scale being used to assess trainees on a variety of formative observation situations across all phases of the programs.