When it comes to achieving MRCGP, most resident doctors focus on the two exams (AKT & SCA) and yet as educators we worry more about your portfolio. The most frequent cause of unsatisfactory ARCP outcome is to do with spread of evidence and quality of reflection

Most resident doctors will struggle with writing reflective entries to begin with. Developing the skill is not only important for getting through each ARCP; it’s a vital skill working GPs used every day to maintain their practice.

Useful resources

The most useful resource is your Educational Supervisor. They will have seen other resident doctor entries and may even take part in ARCPs. Most importantly, it is they who are assessing your fitness to be a GP, so over your training, you’ll need to come to a shared understanding of what is required. Just like normal human diversity, there will be differences between what ESs like to see, so don’t panic if your ES says something different from a colleague’s.

There are several resources to help develop the skill:

• iGP Wales: A guide to reflective writing
• RCGP WBPA worked examples (pdf)
• How to Use Reflection (Arora Medical Education)
• The Reflective Practitioner