1. Instructions for completing the Self Assessment form
Listed below are the self-assessment questions that appear on the application form along with the possible responses to each question. Your responses to these self-assessment questions will determine your own score. You will need to provide evidence to substantiate your responses via the Self-Assessment portal; this evidence will be validated by a panel and used to derive your final validated score.
Any lack of evidence, or lack of clarity provided by applicants will lead to an amendment of the score. It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide clear and unambiguous evidence for the process.
Applicants will be able to upload evidence as detailed in their application form between 10:00am on Monday 16 December 2024 and 10:00am on Tuesday 31 December 2024.
Full details of how to upload evidence will be provided by Friday 13 December 2024 so that you can start collecting and preparing your evidence but general guidance is below. It is imperative that you provide evidence for everything that you have cited on your application form as this evidence will be used to confirm the self-assessment score. Any discrepancies or missing evidence may result in your self-assessment score being downgraded.
The portfolio of evidence should be organised as follows:
- The content of the evidence portfolio must be in the same order as the domains in the application form.
- Evidence within each domain should be in chronological order.
- The evidence must be in English. Non-English documents must be accompanied by a certified English translation.
- The entire portfolio of evidence must be uploaded as a single PDF. Applications with multiple PDFs will not be scored and excluded from the application process.
The panel will only be able to assess the evidence you provide; they will not contact you to request additional evidence. You are therefore requested to provide all evidence in a clear format so that this can easily be identified and assessed.
The recruitment office is not able to advise you about which response you should select for any question. You must select the response you feel you will be able to justify to the panel, using the evidence you provide. Please note that no evidence can be submitted retrospectively. Evidence should not contain patient identifiable data.
Undergraduate Medical Career: Academic Prizes & Awards
- No evidence : 0
- Shortlisted or finalist for an award but not winner of an award / Certificate of merit, certificate of appreciation, runner-up etc. : 0
- One prize awarded for academic performance / One or more bursary(ies), grant(s) or fellowship(s) awarded for research or travel : 1
- Two or more prizes awarded for academic performance : 2
- Graduated from final year medical school amongst top 10% overall : 4
- Graduated from final year medical school ranked 1st overall / Graduate from medical school with gold medal : 6
Undergraduate Medical Career: Undergraduate Clinical Electives and Attachments
- No evidence : 0
- Electives or clinical attachments in Cardiothoracic Surgery in own institution of 2 weeks or less : 0
- One elective or clinical attachment in Cardiothoracic Surgery in own institution of more than 2 weeks / One elective or clinical attachment in Cardiothoracic Surgery in non home institution of at least 2-week duration : 1
- One elective or clinical attachment in Cardiothoracic Surgery in non home institution of at least 4-week duration : 2
- Two or more separate electives or clinical attachments in Cardiothoracic Surgery in own institution of more than 2 weeks each : 3
- Two or more separate electives or clinical attachments in Cardiothoracic Surgery in non home institution of at least 4-week duration each : 5
Post graduate qualifications: Higher Degrees
- No evidence : 0
- MD as primary medical qualification / Registered for higher degree but not yet awarded : 0
- Higher degree awarded in a subject not directly related to Cardiothoracic Surgery (MSc, MS, MCh, MPhil, MD, DPhil, PhD) / Master in Education : 2
- Awarded master degree (MS, MCh, Mphil) with original research component directly related to Cardiothoracic Surgery : 4
- Awarded doctorate degree (MD, PhD, DPhil) with original research component directly related to Cardiothoracic Surgery : 6
Post graduate qualifications: Post graduate qualifications
- No evidence : 0
- USMLE / ECFMG : 0
- MRCP : 1
- MRCS Part A : 2
- Full MRCS : 4
Post graduate qualifications: PG CERT & PG Dip
- No evidence : 0
- 1 or 2 postgraduate certificate(s) awarded following part or full-time supervised study relevant to research or service delivery in Cardiothoracic Surgery. (Include PG Cert in Education) : 1
- 3 or more PG Cert. awarded following part or full-time supervised study relevant to research or service delivery in Cardiothoracic Surgery / 1 or 2 PG Dip(s) awarded following part or full-time supervised study relevant to research or service delivery in Cardiothoracic Surgery. (Include PG Cert or PG Dip in Education) : 2
- 3 or more PG Dip. awarded following part or full-time supervised study relevant to research or service delivery in Cardiothoracic Surgery : 3
Professional Development: Research
- No evidence : 0
- Limited involvement in research e.g. data collection only : 0
- Substantive role in a completed research project (Not recognised elsewhere in application i.e. not yet presented or published) / Recipient of one or more research grant as co-applicant / Recipient of one or more personal research grant(s) as principal research grant holder with total value of less than £2,000 : 1
- Recipient of one or more personal research grant(s) as principal research grant holder with total value of £2,000 – £9,999 (Post-graduate – i.e. must be after first university degree and medical school) : 2
- Recipient of one or more personal research grant(s) as principal research grant holder with total value of £10,000 – £19,999 (Post-graduate – i.e. must be after first university degree and medical school) : 3
- Recipient of one or more personal research grant(s) as principal research grant holder with total value of £20,000 or more (Post-graduate – i.e. must be after first university degree and medical school) : 4
Professional Development: Quality Improvement Project / Audit
- No evidence : 0
- Participation in QI / clinical audit e.g. data collection -audit project commenced but not yet completed : 0
- Leadership in the design, conduct, and presentation of 1 to 3 completed QI / clinical audit project(s) registered with audit department OR Leadership and completion of 1 QI / audit cycle registered with audit department (i.e. completed both audit AND re-audit) : 1
- Leadership in the design, conduct, and presentation of 4 or more completed QI / clinical audit projects registered with audit department OR Leadership and completion of 2 different QI / audit cycles registered with audit department (i.e. completed both audit AND re-audit) : 2
- Leadership and completion of 3 or more different QI / audit cycles registered with audit department (i.e. completed both audit AND re-audit) : 3
Professional Development: Postgraduate Awards and Prizes
- No evidence : 0
- Bursaries, grants and fellowships awarded for research or travel : 0
- Awards or prizes awarded by a local or regional peer group related to achievement in medicine or surgery : 1
- National award(s) reflecting outstanding achievement in medicine or surgery : 2
- International award(s) reflecting outstanding achievement in medicine or surgery : 3
Supporting Activities: Presentations
- No evidence : 0
- Departmental presentations : 0
- Poster presentations at national or international meetings : 1
- Personally delivered 1 to 2 oral presentation(s) as the podium presenter at a national or international society involving a major personal commitment : 2
- Personally delivered 3 or more distinct oral presentation(s) as the podium presenter at a national or international society involving a major personal commitment : 3
Supporting Activities: Publications
- No evidence : 0
- Letter to editor / Abstract / E-comments / Pay to publish journal articles : 0
- Co-author for 1 to 4 peer-reviewed publications (listed in PubMed) or published book chapter(s) OR First author for 1 to 2 peer-reviewed publication (listed in PubMed). NB Joint first authorship would only be accepted and scored when it is clearly stated by the publishing journal : 1
- Co-author for 5 or more peer-reviewed publications (listed in PubMed) or published book chapter(s) OR Author or editor of a relevant textbook OR First author for 3 to 4 peer-reviewed publication (listed in PubMed). NB Joint first authorship would only be accepted and scored when it is clearly stated by the publishing journal : 2
- First author for 5 or more peer-reviewed publications (listed in PubMed). NB Joint first authorship would only be accepted and scored when it is clearly stated by the publishing journal : 3
Supporting Activities: Organisational and Leadership Skills (within 3 years’ of application closing date i.e. Dec 2021 onwards)
- No evidence : 0
- Rota master or similar roles : 0
- Official role in local or regional committee work, project development, charity work etc. OR Official role in local or regional branch of a national body : 1
- Overall Chair, Secretary or other equivalent leadership role of a national or international body or society : 2
Supporting Activities: Teaching
- No evidence : 0
- Ad hoc teaching commitment (i.e. less than monthly for at least 6 months duration) / Talks given to members of the public : 0
- Evidence of regular teaching commitment to clinical professionals e.g. medical students, nurses etc. (minimum frequency of monthly for at least 6 months duration) : 1
- Faculty of a course with evidence of a published programme AND formal participant feedback : 2
- Formal teaching role for 6 months or more e.g. anatomy demonstrator (minimum 50% WTE for at least 6 months duration) : 3
- Formal teaching role for 12 months or more e.g. anatomy demonstrator (minimum 50% WTE for at least 12 months duration) : 4
Supporting Activities: Achievements outside of medicine
- No evidence : 0
- I have recognised achievements outside of medicine at a significant level that have not fitted into any other domain (Note: Examples include but not limited to representing country/county at sport, significant achievement in the field of performance arts. Supporting evidence required) : 1
- I have recognised achievements outside of medicine at a significant level within the last 3 years that have not fitted into any other domain (Note: Examples include but not limited to representing country/county at sport, significant achievement in the field of performance arts. Supporting evidence required) : 2
