Recently the college announced that there is a new CASC syllabus and blueprint from September 2023. This is because in 2022, a new psychiatry training curriculum was introduced.
Now, don't worry! The new curriculum is not much different to the old one and in fact, is much more general. (This is because the GMC is bringing all the medical specialty curricula to be in line with each other and has developed general professional capabilities that apply to all specialties).
The new CASC syllabus and blueprint now links to the new curriculum.
Here is some of the key information you need to know!
1. These are the key skills that will be assessed:
History taking
Presenting complaint and psychiatric history
Physical health history
Developmental history
Personal and social history
Collateral History
Examination
Mental State (cognitive)
Mental State (psychotic)
Mental State (non-psychotic)
Capacity Assessment
Physical Examination
Risk Assessment
Patient management
Formulation
Management (biological)
Management (psychological)
Holistic management plan
Safety planning
Legal and ethical management
Communication
Personalisation and respect
Recognising and responding effectively to cues
Empathy
Providing clear and accurate information
2. It will cover all clinical settings, all ages and all disorders including:
• neurodevelopmental disorders • schizophrenia or other primary psychotic disorders • catatonia • mood disorder • anxiety or fear-related disorders • obsessive-compulsive or related disorders • disorders specifically associated with stress • dissociative disorders • feeding or eating disorders • elimination disorders • disorders of bodily distress or bodily experience • disorders due to substance use or addictive behaviours • impulse control disorders • disruptive behaviour or dissocial disorders • personality disorders and related traits • paraphilic disorders • factitious disorders • neurocognitive disorders • mental or behavioural disorders associated with pregnancy, childbirth or the puerperium • psychological or behavioural factors affecting disorders or diseases classified elsewhere in the ICD • secondary mental or behavioural syndromes associated with disorders or diseases classified elsewhere in the ICD • sleep-wake disorders • sexual dysfunctions • gender incongruence.
3. There will be a heavier focus on physical health
There will always be at least:
• one station with a focus on risk assessment or safety planning
• one station with a focus on cognitive examination or capacity assessment
• one station with a focus on physical health history or physical examination.
4. There will be at least one station on each of the sub-specialties
There will be:
• 4 x General psychiatry stations
1 x Psychiatry of intellectual disability
1 x Child and adolescent psychiatry
1 x Old age psychiatry
1 x Forensic psychiatry
1 x Medical psychotherapy
1 x Addiction psychiatry
The remaining 6 stations could be from any specialty
5. Each of the communication skills will be the emphasis in 1 station (4 skills)
You can find the full document from the college here: