Learning in Phase II is based in hospital and community settings.  

The year is divided into sections:  

• Advanced Cases 1 (AC1): 12 weeks  
• Core Clinical Education: 30 weeks  

Student Selected Component (SSC1) runs concurrent with AC1  

The AC1 block is the first block the students undertake during phase II. . It runs for 12 weeks between September and December.

The block has 3 main themes:  

1. Developing as a professional
2. Working with complexity and uncertainty 
3. Understanding and working in the NHS 

The block marks a transition between pre-clinical learning in phase I that is predominantly university and theory based, and the clinical placements that students will go on to undertake during the second part of phase II, and the rest of the course.     

For the first 10 weeks the students usually spend one day a week out at the trusts, where they do bedside teaching, and have to complete a set number of CLOs (Clinical Learning Opportunities e.g. sitting in on an outpatient clinic or observing a theatre list) and TDOCs (Clinical Skills assessments). The other days are usually spent at the university (or this year between the university and studying online at home). The final two weeks are called transition weeks, and the student go to the trusts full time in preparation for starting their CCE placements (this year there is only one transition week due to Covid-19).   

Each week of the block has a different theme, content from phase I is built on and more advanced and complex subjects are covered:   

Week 1 – Intro and Genetics/ Paediatrics

Week 2- Diabetes/ Adolescence

Week 3- Infectious disease/ viruses

Week 4- Homelessness and TB

Week 5- Autoimmune and Renal

Week 6- Hypertension and Arrythmias

Week 7- Chronic Physical and Mental Health

Week 8- Cancer

Week 9- Frailty and Confusion

Week 10- Palliative Care and Transition preparation

Learning Objectives

Become competent and confident at:  

• History taking  
• Examination  
• Constructing basic differential diagnosis  
• Planning investigations  
• Basic Management  
• Communicating with patients and in teams  
• Common and important conditions  
• Understanding the culture of the NHS  

We expect them to gain experience in common and important conditions.

CCE is a 30 week clinical placement in Phase II  

• There are 3 x ten week blocks normally running from January to July. The blocks are focussed on Medicine, Surgery and Specialties.
• Students are based in the Trusts - UHCW, GEH, SWFT and also spend one day per week (either Tuesday or Wednesday) in a GP surgery. Students also have community placements during the specialties block.
• Each of the three blocks has same learning outcomes regardless of location.
• In the NHS Hospital Trusts your students rotate between UHCW and one DGH (SWFT or GEH) at week 11. Your students are attached in small groups to faculty teams. If you teach Phase II students you need to know the other named consultants in yoru faculty team. This is important so that you can share information with each other about the students, and so you can cover for each other if you are unable to teach your students one week (for example, if you are on call or on annual leave) 
• Phase II students also attend an Academic Day every fortnight (held on Fridays)  
• Case Based Learning sessions – CBL continues throughout the course. If you have a Phase II student, please ask them how their CBL case is going that week. If you can find a patient to link with the topic of the week that will help the students apply their new knowledge.
• Students must all attend T-DOCS / Skills lab sessions:

'T-Docs' is short for Tomorrow's Doctors and refers to the list of clinical skills that the GMC requires newly qualified doctors to be able to do.  

Students are taught these by a team of clinical skills facilitators in the clinical skills labs. Students are required to attend their slots for T-Docs teaching. Once they have been taught in the lab, they are allowed to perform these skills supervised in clinical placement.