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Capabilities in Practice (CiPs)

Renal Medicine with General Internal Medicine (GIM) CESR Portfolio Guide

Complete guide to the Renal Medicine with General Internal Medicine (GIM) Portfolio Pathway: 20 Capabilities in Practice (CiPs), 3 evidence sections, and a 5-year currency window. Based on official GMC Specialty Specific Guidance, published by Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board (JRCPTB).

SSG Version: 04/02/2025

20
CiPs
3
Evidence Sections
5yr
Currency Window
~100 docs
Evidence Volume

Capabilities in Practice (CiPs)

The Renal Medicine with General Internal Medicine (GIM) SSG defines 20 Capabilities in Practice (CiPs) that Portfolio Pathway applicants must demonstrate competence in.

Generic CiP 1

Able to function successfully within NHS organisational and management systems

Generic Capabilities in Practice

  • Aware of, and adheres to, the GMC professional requirements
  • Aware of public health issues including population health, social determinants of health and global health perspectives
  • Demonstrates effective clinical leadership
  • Demonstrates promotion of an open and transparent culture
  • Keeps up to date through learning and teaching
  • Demonstrates engagement in career planning
  • Demonstrates capabilities in dealing with complexity and uncertainty
  • Aware of the role and processes for commissioning
  • Aware of the need to use resources wisely
Generic CiP 2

Able to deal with ethical and legal issues related to clinical practice

Generic Capabilities in Practice

  • Aware of national legislation and legal responsibilities, including safeguarding vulnerable groups
  • Behaves in accordance with ethical and legal requirements
  • Demonstrates ability to offer apology or explanation when appropriate
  • Demonstrate ability to lead the clinical team in ensuring that ethical and legal factors are considered openly and consistently
Generic CiP 3

Communicates effectively and is able to share decision making, while maintaining appropriate situational awareness, professional behaviour and professional judgement

Generic Capabilities in Practice

  • Communicates clearly with patients and carers in a variety of settings
  • Communicates effectively with clinical and other professional colleagues
  • Identifies and manages barriers to communication (e.g. cognitive impairment, speech and hearing problems, capacity issues)
  • Demonstrates effective consultation skills including effective verbal and non-verbal interpersonal skills
  • Shares decision making by informing the patient, prioritising the patient’s goals and wishes, and respecting the patient’s beliefs, concerns and expectations
  • Shares decision making with children and young people
  • Applies management and team working skills appropriately, including influencing, negotiating, re-assessing priorities and effectively managing complex, dynamic situations
Generic CiP 4

Is focussed on patient safety and delivers effective quality improvement in patient care

Generic Capabilities in Practice

  • Makes patient safety a priority in clinical practice
  • Raises and escalates concerns where there is an issue with patient safety or quality of care
  • Demonstrates commitment to learning from patient safety investigations and complaints
  • Shares good practice appropriately
  • Contributes to and delivers quality improvement
  • Understands basic Human Factors principles and practice at individual, team, organisational and system levels
  • Understands the importance of non-technical skills and crisis resource management
  • Recognises and works within limit of personal competence
  • Avoids organising unnecessary investigations or prescribing poorly evidenced treatments
Generic CiP 5

Carries out research and manages data appropriately

Generic Capabilities in Practice

  • Manages clinical information / data appropriately
  • Understands principles of research and academic writing
  • Demonstrates ability to carry out critical appraisal of the literature
  • Understands the role of evidence in clinical practice and demonstrates shared decision making with patients
  • Understands public health epidemiology and global health patterns
  • Demonstrates appropriate knowledge of research methods, including qualitative and quantitative approaches in scientific enquiry
  • Demonstrates appropriate knowledge of research principles and concepts and the translation of research into practice
  • Follows guidelines on ethical conduct in research and consent for research
  • Recognises potential of applied informatics, genomics, stratified risk and personalised medicine and seeks advice for patient benefit when appropriate
Generic CiP 6

Acts as a clinical teacher and clinical supervisor

Generic Capabilities in Practice

  • Delivers effective teaching and training to medical students, junior doctors and other healthcare professionals
  • Delivers effective feedback with action plan
  • Able to supervise less experienced trainees in their clinical assessment and management of patients
  • Able to supervise less experienced trainees in carrying out appropriate practical procedures
  • Able to act as a clinical supervisor to doctors in earlier stages of training
Clinical CiP 1

Managing an acute unselected take

Clinical Capabilities in Practice

  • Demonstrates professional behaviour with regard to patients, carers, colleagues and others
  • Delivers patient centred care including shared decision making
  • Takes a relevant patient history including patient symptoms, concerns, priorities and preferences
  • Performs accurate clinical examinations
  • Shows appropriate clinical reasoning by analysing physical and psychological findings
  • Formulates an appropriate differential diagnosis
  • Formulates an appropriate diagnostic and management plan, taking into account patient preferences, and the urgency required
  • Explains clinical reasoning behind diagnostic and clinical management decisions to patients/carers/guardians and other colleagues
  • Appropriately selects, manages and interprets investigations
  • Recognises need to liaise with specialty services and refers where appropriate
Clinical CiP 2

Managing the acute care of patients within a medical specialty service

Clinical Capabilities in Practice

  • Able to manage patients who have been referred acutely to a specialised medical service as opposed to the acute unselected take
  • Demonstrates professional behaviour with regard to patients, carers, colleagues and others
  • Delivers patient centred care including shared decision making
  • Takes a relevant patient history including patient symptoms, concerns, priorities and preferences
  • Performs accurate clinical examinations
  • Shows appropriate clinical reasoning by analysing physical and psychological findings
  • Formulates an appropriate differential diagnosis
  • Formulates an appropriate diagnostic and management plan, taking into account patient preferences, and the urgency required
  • Explains clinical reasoning behind diagnostic and clinical management decisions to patients/carers/guardians and other colleagues
  • Appropriately selects, manages and interprets investigations
  • Demonstrates appropriate continuing management of acute medical illness in a medical specialty setting
  • Refers patients appropriately to other specialties as required
Clinical CiP 3

Providing continuity of care to medical inpatients, including management of comorbidities and cognitive impairment

Clinical Capabilities in Practice

  • Demonstrates professional behaviour with regard to patients, carers, colleagues and others
  • Delivers patient centred care including shared decision making
  • Demonstrates effective consultation skills
  • Formulates an appropriate diagnostic and management plan, taking into account patient preferences, and the urgency required
  • Explains clinical reasoning behind diagnostic and clinical management decisions to patients/carers/guardians and other colleagues
  • Demonstrates appropriate continuing management of acute medical illness inpatients admitted to hospital on an acute unselected take or selected take
  • Recognises need to liaise with specialty services and refers where appropriate
  • Appropriately manages comorbidities in medial inpatients
  • Demonstrates awareness of the quality of patient experience
Clinical CiP 4

Managing patients in an outpatient clinic, ambulatory or community setting, including management of long term conditions

Clinical Capabilities in Practice

  • Demonstrates professional behaviour with regard to patients, carers, colleagues and others
  • Delivers patient centred care including shared decision making
  • Demonstrates effective consultation skills
  • Formulates an appropriate diagnostic and management plan, taking into account patient preferences
  • Explains clinical reasoning behind diagnostic and clinical management decisions to patients/carers/guardians and other colleagues
  • Appropriately manages comorbidities in outpatient clinic, ambulatory or community setting
  • Demonstrates awareness of the quality of patient experience
Clinical CiP 5

Managing medical problems in patients in other specialties and special cases

Clinical Capabilities in Practice

  • Demonstrates effective consultation skills (including when in challenging circumstances)
  • Demonstrates management of medical problems in inpatients under the care of other specialties
  • Demonstrates appropriate and timely liaison with other medical specialty services when required
Clinical CiP 6

Managing a multi-disciplinary team including effective discharge planning

Clinical Capabilities in Practice

  • Applies management and team working skills appropriately, including influencing, negotiating, continuously re-assessing priorities and effectively managing complex, dynamic situations
  • Identifies appropriate discharge plan
  • Ensures continuity and coordination of patient care through the appropriate transfer of information demonstrating safe and effective handover
  • Effectively estimates length of stay
  • Delivers patient centred care including shared decision making
  • Recognises the importance of prompt and accurate information sharing with primary care team following hospital discharge
Clinical CiP 7

Delivering effective resuscitation and managing the acutely deteriorating patient

Clinical Capabilities in Practice

  • Demonstrates prompt assessment of the acutely deteriorating patient, including those who are shocked or unconscious
  • Demonstrates the professional requirements and knowledge of legal processes associated with consent for resuscitation
  • Participates effectively in decision making with regard to resuscitation decisions, including decisions not to attempt CPR, and involves patients and their families
  • Demonstrates competence in carrying out resuscitation
Clinical CiP 8

Managing end of life and applying palliative care skills

Clinical Capabilities in Practice

  • Identifies patients with limited reversibility of their medical condition and determines palliative and end of life care needs
  • Identifies the dying patient and develops an individualised care plan, including anticipatory prescribing at end of life
  • Demonstrates effective consultation skills in challenging circumstances
  • Demonstrates safe and effective use of syringe pumps in the palliative care population
  • Able to manage non complex symptom control including pain
  • Facilitates referrals to specialist palliative care across all settings
  • Demonstrates compassionate professional behaviour and clinical judgement
Specialty CiP 1

Running a Renal ward

Specialty Specific Capabilities in Practice

  • Demonstrates professional behaviour with regard to patients, carers, colleagues and others
  • Delivers patient centred care including shared decision making
  • Demonstrates Clinical Leadership
  • Able to prioritise admissions and ensure safe discharge of patients
  • Takes a relevant patient history including patient symptoms, concerns, priorities and preferences
  • Performs accurate clinical examinations
  • Formulates an appropriate diagnostic and management plan, taking into account patient preferences, and the urgency required including provision of urgent dialysis
  • Explains clinical reasoning behind diagnostic and clinical management decisions to patients/carers/guardians and other colleagues
  • Applies management and team working skills appropriately, including influencing, negotiating, continuously re-assessing priorities and effectively managing complex, dynamic situations
  • Identifies patients with limited reversibility of their medical conditions and determines palliative and end of life care needs including appropriateness of provision of dialysis
  • Demonstrates appropriate and timely liaison with other specialty services when required
  • Demonstrates management of renal problems in inpatients under the care of other specialties
Specialty CiP 2

Managing a haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis programme

Specialty Specific Capabilities in Practice

  • Demonstrates professional behaviour with regards patients, carers, colleagues and others
  • Formulates an appropriate diagnostic and management plan, taking into account patient preferences including access for haemodialysis, workup for renal transplant, and end of life care and withdrawal from dialysis
  • Appropriately manages comorbidities in the dialysis unit or outpatient clinic
  • Demonstrated knowledge of management of quality, including audit of dialysis equipment and water quality
  • Delivers patient centred care including shared decision making and shared care
  • Demonstrates effective consultation skills
  • Demonstrates awareness of the quality of patient experience
  • Demonstrates appropriate and timely liaison with other specialty services
  • Recognises the importance of prompt and accurate information sharing with the primary care team
Specialty CiP 3

Running an acute renal referral service

Specialty Specific Capabilities in Practice

  • Demonstrates professional behaviour with regard to patients, carers, colleagues and others
  • Delivers patient centred care including shared decision making
  • Demonstrates effective consultation skills including ‘out of hours’ working
  • Takes a relevant patient history and accurate clinical examination focused on the referral request and clinical situation.
  • Appropriately selects, manages and interprets investigations
  • Formulates an appropriate differential diagnosis.
  • Formulates an appropriate diagnostic and management plan, taking into account patient preferences, and the urgency required
  • Explains clinical reasoning behind diagnostic and clinical management decisions to patients/carers/guardians and other colleagues.
  • Demonstrates prompt and accurate information sharing with relevant professionals after the consultation
Specialty CiP 4

Managing patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 1-5

Specialty Specific Capabilities in Practice

  • Demonstrates professional behaviour with regards patients, carers, colleagues and others
  • Delivers patient centred care including shared decision making and shared care
  • Demonstrates effective consultation skills
  • Formulates an appropriate diagnostic and management plan, taking into account patient preferences including access for haemodialysis, preparation for peritoneal dialysis and workup for renal transplant.
  • Identifies patients with limited reversibility of their medical condition and discusses maximal conservative management of CKD and end of life care needs as appropriate
  • Able to conduct an outpatient clinic and support management in the community with the multidisciplinary team
  • Demonstrates the use of investigations to assess the cause, severity and reversibility of CKD
  • Appropriately manages comorbidities in the outpatient clinic
  • Demonstrates awareness of the quality of patient experience
  • Demonstrates appropriate and timely liaison with other specialty services including those based in Primary Care
Specialty CiP 5

Understanding of subspecialty clinical services

Specialty Specific Capabilities in Practice

  • Demonstrates professional behaviour with regards patients, carers, colleagues and others
  • Delivers patient centred care including shared decision making
  • Demonstrates effective clinical leadership
  • Demonstrates appropriate and timely liaison with other specialty services when required
  • Demonstrates an understanding of relevant diseases and their treatments
  • Demonstrates an understanding of specific investigations including genetic testing and implications of the results.
  • Demonstrates an understanding of issues surrounding new therapies, clinic trials and the development of new clinics for specific patient groups
  • Demonstrate ability to keep up to date and / or learning from colleagues in other department or units where such a service is in place
  • Demonstrates an understanding of particular needs of certain groups (e.g. adolescent transition patients)
Specialty CiP 6

Managing renal transplant patients

Specialty Specific Capabilities in Practice

  • Demonstrates professional behaviour with regards patients, carers, colleagues and others
  • Delivers patient centred care including shared decision making
  • Demonstrates an understanding of the fundamentals of renal transplantation and ability to assess recipients and transplant doctors
  • Demonstrates effective clinical leadership
  • Demonstrates an understanding of the indications for renal transplantation and risk versus benefit
  • Demonstrates ability to apply knowledge when caring for acute and chronic transplant recipients including failing renal transplants
  • Demonstrates an understanding of live donor assessment
  • Demonstrates appropriate and timely liaison with other specialty services when required

Evidence Requirements

The SSG specifies 3 evidence sections. Each section describes what evidence to provide and how to present it.

Structured reports

Nominate a minimum of three referees for the GMC to obtain structured reports from.

What to provide

  • Current Head of Department or other senior colleague
  • One Internal medicine referee of consultant level
  • At least one other report from a colleague working with you at consultant level in your specialty

How to present

Nominate referees in the online application.

Submitting your evidence

Requirements for submitting evidence electronically.

What to provide

  • Anonymising (redacting) identifiable information
  • Verifying your evidence to confirm its authenticity
  • Authenticating overseas qualifications
  • Translating any documents not in English

How to present

Provide evidence electronically following the structure in the user guide.

Evidence of training, qualifications, and employment

Evidence of your training as background evidence to allow evaluators to see your whole career pathway.

What to provide

  • Primary medical qualification (PMQ)
  • Specialist medical qualification(s) (MRCP(UK) and ESENeph or comparable)
  • Recent specialist training curriculum or syllabus
  • CV
  • Employment letters
  • Job descriptions
  • Rotas
  • Appraisal

How to present

Submit electronically under the correct section of your online application.

Index Procedures

18 index procedures require procedural-based assessments (PBAs) with specified minimum assessors and competence levels.

ProcedureCategoryMin PBAsMin AssessorsMin Level
Advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)Internal Medicine Procedures4
Direct current (DC) cardioversionInternal Medicine Procedures4
Temporary cardiac pacing using an external deviceInternal Medicine Procedures2
Central venous cannulation (internal jugular or subclavian)Internal Medicine Procedures2
Access to circulation for resuscitation (femoral vein or intraosseous)Internal Medicine Procedures2
Pleural aspiration for fluid (diagnostic)Internal Medicine Procedures4
Pleural aspiration (pneumothorax)Internal Medicine Procedures4
Intercostal drain for pneumothoraxInternal Medicine Procedures2
Intercostal drain for effusionInternal Medicine Procedures2
Nasogastric (NG) tubeInternal Medicine Procedures4
Ascitic tapInternal Medicine Procedures4
Abdominal paracentesisInternal Medicine Procedures2
Lumbar punctureInternal Medicine Procedures4
Non-tunnelled intravenous dialysis cathetersSpecialty Procedures4
Native renal biopsySpecialty Procedures1
Tunnelled intravenous dialysis cathetersSpecialty Procedures1
Non-surgical insertion of peritoneal dialysis cathetersSpecialty Procedures1
Transplant renal biopsySpecialty Procedures1

Knowledge Requirements

Primary Path

Evidence of completion of full MRCP(UK) and the European Specialty Examination in Nephrology (ESENeph) or comparable qualification.

Alternative Path

A detailed, thorough and succinct cross-referencing mapping exercise, demonstrating how each and every competency in the qualification has been covered in your own qualifications.

If your specialist medical qualification is from outside the UK, please ensure that you provide the following evidence in addition to your qualification: Training curriculum or examination syllabus, and Formal period assessments completed during training.

Referee Requirements

3

Referee Reports Required

Recent

  • Current Head of Department or other senior colleague with knowledge of the breadth of your clinical activity (ideally Educational Supervisor with at least five years' experience)
  • One Internal medicine referee of consultant level who is able to provide comments based on direct observation
  • At least one other report from a colleague working with you at consultant level in your specialty

Volume and Assessment Targets

The SSG specifies minimum volume and assessment targets for this specialty.

Acute Care Assessment Tool (ACAT) for GIM

ACAT

Min count: 6Min level: 4

Outpatient Care Assessment Tool (OPCAT)

OPCAT

Min count: 2Min level: 4

Case-based discussion and/or mini-clinical evaluation exercise (mini-CEX) for GIM

CbD/Mini-CEX

Min count: 8Min level: 4

Supervised Learning Events (SLEs) for Renal Specialty CiPs

SLEs

Min count: 12Min level: 4

Multiple Consultant Reports (MCR)

MCR

Min count: 4Min assessors: 4within the last 12 months (WTE)

Quality Improvement Project Assessment Tool (QIPAT)

QIPAT

Min count: 1completed in last 12 months of most recent practise (WTE)

Patient Survey (PS)

Patient Survey

Min count: 1completed in last 12 months of most recent practise (WTE)

Teaching observation (TO)

Teaching Observation

Min count: 1completed in last 12 months clinical practise (WTE)

Multi Source Feedback (MSF)

MSF

Min count: 1Min assessors: 12completed in last 12 months clinical practise (WTE)

Currency Window & Evidence Volume

Currency Window

5

Years

Evidence of your recent practice will be given more weight to reflect current capabilities and we suggest that approximately 50% of your evidence for a curriculum outcome is drawn from within the last five years of clinical practice (WTE).

Evidence Volume

As a general guide, most applications are expected to include around 100 electronically uploaded documents.

Additional Notes

An application has been made to change the name of General Internal Medicine to Internal Medicine.

Triangulated evidence (evidence comprised of three different sources) will make a stronger application.

Evidence of your recent practice (<within the last five years of clinical practise (WTE)) will be given more weight to reflect current capabilities.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Renal Medicine with General Internal Medicine (GIM) CESR portfolio?
The Renal Medicine with General Internal Medicine (GIM) CESR portfolio is a collection of evidence demonstrating equivalence to UK CCT standards, submitted via the GMC Portfolio Pathway. It is assessed against the Specialty Specific Guidance for Renal Medicine with General Internal Medicine (GIM).
How many framework units does Renal Medicine with General Internal Medicine (GIM) require?
The Renal Medicine with General Internal Medicine (GIM) SSG defines 20 Capabilities in Practice (CiPs) and 3 evidence sections.
What evidence is required for Renal Medicine with General Internal Medicine (GIM) specialist registration?
Evidence requirements are defined in 3 sections covering areas such as Structured reports, Submitting your evidence, Evidence of training, qualifications, and employment.
How long is the currency window for Renal Medicine with General Internal Medicine (GIM)?
The currency window for Renal Medicine with General Internal Medicine (GIM) is 5 years. Evidence of your recent practice will be given more weight to reflect current capabilities and we suggest that approximately 50% of your evidence for a curriculum outcome is drawn from within the last five years of clinical practice (WTE).
What index procedures are required for Renal Medicine with General Internal Medicine (GIM)?
Renal Medicine with General Internal Medicine (GIM) requires procedural-based assessments for 18 index procedures across the specialty.

Start Your Renal Medicine with General Internal Medicine (GIM) Portfolio

Map your evidence to the Renal Medicine with General Internal Medicine (GIM) framework, track readiness, and export your GMC submission.