Reg 14 Examinations in anaesthesia

Note: Dates in italics flag the dates of recent changes to the regulation, e.g., 06/10 indicates a change made to the previous paragraph in June 2010.

Regulation 14 applies to all Trainees from 1 July 2010.

14.  EXAMINATIONS IN ANAESTHESIA

Regulation 14 applies to all Trainees.

14.1  Definitions and Abbreviations

The following definitions and abbreviations apply in Regulation 14 and Regulation 15.

A Trainee in anaesthesia is a licensed medical practitioner who is registered with the College for vocational training for the diploma Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists. A Basic Trainee and an Advanced Trainee are Trainees working to meet the requirements of Basic Training and Advanced Training respectively.

A Provisional Fellow is an Advanced Trainee who has completed the first two years of Advanced Training, all requirements of Modules 1 to 10, passed the Final Examination, and been granted prospective approval from the Assessor for an optional individualized training program.  This training is undertaken during all or part of ATY3 in an appointment approved for Provisional Fellows.

A Candidate is a Trainee who is presenting for a College examination.

Prevocational Medical Education and Training (PMET) means the two year training period (PMET1 and PMET2) as a junior or hospital medical officer or an equivalent, where broad experience is gained in the provision of medical care, resulting in a well-rounded generalist orientation.  This usually comprises the first two postgraduate years, also known as PGY1 and PGY2.  The training experience must be acceptable to Council as being suitable for PMET.

Approved Training refers to time spent by a Trainee in supervised appointments within Approved Training Sites to complete Clinical Training and Curriculum Modules required under Regulation 15.

An Approved Hospital Department is one accredited by the College to provide a Trainee with supervised training experience in anaesthesia, and which complies with the requirements of Professional Documents TE1 Recommendations for Hospitals Seeking College Approval for Vocational Training in Anaesthesia and TE3 Policy on Supervision of Clinical Experience for Vocational Trainees in Anaesthesia.

An Approved Training Site is normally an Approved Hospital Department but may also include other Approved Hospital Departments or health service facilities within the same health centre organization or complex that are recognized by the College for providing training experience.

A Rotational Training Program is a regionally based Approved Training Rotation that involves a group of Approved Training Sites, which together provide Trainees with a comprehensive and integrated training experience covering the essential requirements of all the Training Modules.

A Trainee is said to be in a Rotation if he/she is training in an Approved Department with an agreement that he/she will be rotated to another Approved Department that makes up the rotation. A trainee who has not been accepted into a Rotation is classified as an Independent Trainee.

Basic Training is a minimum period of two years Approved Training as Basic Training Year 1 (BTY1) and Basic Training Year 2 (BTY2). It is designed to provide Trainees with the fundamentals of the practice of anaesthesia and a sound knowledge of relevant applied basic sciences. Trainees who have registered with the College but who have not yet commenced Approved Training are said to be in Pre-Training.

Advanced Training is a minimum period of three years Approved Training as Advanced Training Year 1 (ATY1), Advanced Training Year 2 (ATY2) and Advanced Training Year 3 (ATY3), following completion of Basic Training. It is designed to provide Trainees with experience in complex and subspecialty anaesthesia, and other requirements for professional practice as a specialist anaesthetist.

Training Time in Approved Training is inclusive of leave for all purposes, of which Regulation 15 allows a total of 16 weeks during the minimum 2 years of Basic Training, and 24 weeks during the minimum 3 years of Advanced Training. Training Time and PMET requirements, unless otherwise stated, refer to full-time equivalents (FTE). Trainees who work part-time must complete the FTE of Approved Training.

Clinical Training is the clinical experience that must be undertaken in Approved Training to complete the clinical Curriculum Modules.

Curriculum Modules are learning requirements in knowledge, skills and attitudes, that must be completed during training as outlined in Professional Document TE2 Policy on Vocational Training Modules and Module Supervision. Modules are Basic Training Modules 1 to 3, clinical Modules 4 to 10, and Advanced Training Modules 11 and 12.

A Hospital Employment Year (HEY) is a period of 12 consecutive calendar months coinciding with the commencement and completion dates for annual appointments for Trainees. The precise dates of commencement and completion vary in different regions of training.

Affiliated Training Regions are Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia, where the College examines, and where Trainees may undertake the FANZCA Training Program and/or the local domestic training program.

A Foreign Training Program is an anaesthesia training program other than the FANZCA Program. It refers to the anaesthesia training programs of countries other than Australia and New Zealand. The Affiliated Training Regions conduct the FANZCA Program concurrently with their own domestic programs, which are deemed Foreign Training Programs.

A Learning Portfolio is a Trainee’s personal manual that is regularly updated, and which records training objectives, experiences, results of formative and summative assessments, and other achievements during training. Detailed requirements are set out in Professional Document TE8 Guidelines for the Learning Portfolio for Trainees in Anaesthesia.

FANZCA means Fellow or Fellowship of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.

FCICM means Fellow or Fellowship of the College of Intensive Care Medicine of Australia and New Zealand (or its antecedent).

EMAC means the Effective Management of Anaesthetic Crises (course).

EMST means the Early Management of Severe Trauma (course).

14.2  Eligibility for Fellowship by Examination

The training of a specialist anaesthetist to the standards required for conferment of the diploma Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists, requires completion to the satisfaction of the College, of Basic and Advanced Training, all Curriculum Modules, the Primary and Final Examinations, and other requirements as outlined in Regulation 15.

14.3  The Primary Examination

• 14.3.1 Candidates for the Primary Examination must be College Trainees and must have completed at least 12 months PMET by the time of the written section of the examination.
• 14.3.2 Candidates may present for the Primary Examination prior to commencing Approved Training or at any time during Basic Training.
• 14.3.3 Primary Examinations will be held on dates and at times determined by Council.
• 14.3.4 The subject areas for the Primary Examination will be:
• 14.3.4.1 Physiology including Clinical Measurement.
  
• 14.3.4.2 Pharmacology including Statistics.

The topics examined within these subject areas are set out in the Syllabus for the Basic Sciences in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care.

• 14.3.5 Candidates must pass both subject areas to successfully complete the Primary Examination.
• 14.3.6 Candidates may elect to present for either or both subject areas at any one examination.  Success in only one subject area will be carried forward to subsequent attempts at the other subject area.

14.3.7 The Primary Examination comprises:

• 14.3.7.1 A written section, which may be undertaken in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, or Malaysia as determined by Council.
• 14.3.7.2 An oral section, which is normally held in Melbourne, but may be held in other cities as determined by Council.
• 14.3.8 Candidates will be invited to present for the oral section of the examination if they reach the required standard in the written section.

14.4 Exemption from the Primary Examination

• 14.4.1 A Trainee who holds a postgraduate qualification in anaesthesia by examination that is acceptable to Council, may be granted exemption from the Primary Examination. The qualification must represent a training program with a curriculum and an assessment process that results in recipients having knowledge of basic sciences to the standard required in the Primary Examination.
• 14.4.2 Such a Trainee must apply in writing for exemption, and must provide evidence and comprehensive details of the training program and assessments that he/she has successfully completed.
• 14.4.3 A Trainee who has been admitted to FCICM will not be exempted from the Primary Examination, should he/she wish to proceed to training for FANZCA unless 14.4.1 is satisfied

14.5  The Final Examination

14.5.1 Advanced Trainees applying for admission to the Final Examination must, by the application closing date, have submitted documentation to validate that they have, by the date of the written section of the Final Examination:

• 14.5.1.1 Completed PMET, Basic Training, and ATY1.
• 14.5.1.2 Completed 104 weeks of Clinical Training in Clinical Anaesthesia.
  
• 14.5.1.3 Passed the Primary Examination or have been granted exemption.

14.5.2 Holders of FCICM who have completed the ANZCA Primary Examination and fulfilled Training Time requirements, may present for the Final Examination provided that:

• 14.5.2.1 They present within seven years of conferment of FCICM.
• 14.5.2.2 They have been practising Intensive Care Medicine since completing Intensive Care training.
• 14.5.3 Final Examinations will be held on dates and at times determined by Council.

14.5.4 The Final Examination comprises:

• 14.5.4.1 A written section which may be undertaken in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia or Hong Kong at the discretion of Council.
• 14.5.4.2 Clinical and oral sections held in Melbourne, Sydney or other cities at the discretion of Council.
• 14.5.5 The subjects for the Final Examination will be:
• 14.5.5.1 The theory and practice of Clinical Anaesthesia, Intensive Care Medicine, and Pain Medicine, including relevant aspects of the basic sciences.
• 14.5.5.2 Clinical Medicine including relevant aspects of perioperative care.

14.6  Application to Present for Examination

• 14.6.1 Applicants for the Primary or Final Examination must be College Trainees and have paid all outstanding training fees. Applicants who have yet to start Approved Training must pay the Register of Training Fee.
• 14.6.2 Applicants for the Primary or Final Examination must have fulfilled all eligibility requirements as specified under Regulation 15, or do so by the date of the Written Section of the relevant Examination. In the latter case, an applicant for the Final Examination must also provide a written statement from his/her Supervisor of Training to certify that he/she will complete training requirements by that date.
• 14.6.3 Applications for the Primary Examination from PGY1 hospital medical officers for the first examination after their PGY1 year may be accepted if received before the closing date for applications. Such applicants must register for training and submit all documents, training fees, and examination fees as required under this section and Regulation 15, within 30 days after completing PGY1. Acceptance of such an application is provisional until all relevant documents and fees are received on time.
• 14.6.4 Applications must be made on the official form and must include the Examination fee and all required documents and fees as specified under 14.3 The Primary Examination, 14.5 The Final Examination, and 15.3 Registration.
• 14.6.5 Applications, except those under 14.6.3, must be received by the Chief Executive Officer by the closing date, which shall be a minimum of 56 days before the date of the Written Section of the relevant examination.
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• 14.6.6 Council may decline to accept any application.

14.7  Withdrawal from the Primary and Final Examinations.

• 14.7.1 A candidate may withdraw his/her application in writing, before the date of the examination.
• 14.7.2 A Candidate may withdraw on medical or compassionate grounds before the examination, or if he/she does not present for examination. He/she must submit a written notice and provide evidence of cause within seven days of the examination. A new application must be submitted if he/she wishes to present for a subsequent examination.

14.7.3   The Examination fee may be refunded based on the following considerations:

• 14.7.3.1 The examination fee will be refunded in full, if the written notice is received by the CEO up to and including the Closing Date for registration for the examination. 
• 14.7.3.2 Applicants who withdraw from the examination between the Closing Date for the examination up to and including 15 calendar days prior to the first scheduled day of the examination, will incur a 10% administration fee unless this is modified on compassionate grounds.  
  
• 14.7.3.3 Withdrawal from and after 14 calendar days prior to the first scheduled day of the examination will result in no refund of fees unless this is modified on compassionate grounds. 
• 14.7.3.4 The presence of medical or personal compassionate grounds as justification for a reduction or waiving of this fee shall be determined at the discretion of the Chair of Examinations on behalf of the Council.
• 14.7.3.5 If the full fee is to be refunded on compassionate grounds, that amount will be accepted as a full application fee for the immediate subsequent examination at the candidate’s request.

14.8  Successful Completion of Examinations

• 14.8.1 Candidates will be issued with the following certificate after successfully completing all components of the Primary Examination:

This is to certify that …………… has successfully completed the Primary Fellowship Examination by satisfying the Examiners in both the Pharmacology and Physiology sections of the examination and therefore on complying with the College Regulations is eligible to proceed to the Final Fellowship Examination of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.

• 14.8.2 Candidates will be issued with the following certificate after successfully completing the Final Examination:

Award of Fellowship of the College is dependent on completion of all training and examination requirements as set out in College Regulations.

This is to certify that …………… has satisfied all examination requirements of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.  On completion of all training requirements, it is anticipated that the College Council will admit her/him to Fellowship of the College.

• 14.8.3 Such successful Candidates must submit to the Chief Executive Officer original documents or copies certified by a Justice of the Peace (JP) or an equivalent official, to show that they have completed all training requirements as set out in Regulation 15 to be eligible for admission to Fellowship.

14.9   Interpretation and Non-Binding Decisions

• 14.9.1 Any decision, approval, consent, or the exercise of any discretion, by the Council or other committee or authority under Regulation 14 will be considered on a case-by-case basis, having regard to the particular circumstances of each case.
• 14.9.2 Notwithstanding Regulation 14, Council may exercise or dispense other decisions after consideration of relevant circumstances.
• 14.9.3 Any such decision, approval, consent or exercise of discretion will not be binding on any other or future decisions or set any precedent for other or future decisions regarding Regulation 15.

14.10   Communications

All enquiries, applications, and communications regarding Regulation 14 must be made in writing, addressed to:

The Chief Executive Officer,

Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists,

630 St Kilda Road, Melbourne,

Victoria 3004, Australia.

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