Curriculum/Training Handbooks

The College offers five training programs dependent upon entry qualification and experience.

  • Fellowship of the RCPA for medical graduates
  • Fellowship of the Faculty of Clinical Forensic Medicine 
  • Fellowship of the Faculty of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology
  • Fellowship of the Faculty of Science, for science graduates
  • Post-Fellowship Diplomas, for existing RCPA Fellows who wish to pursue a sub-speciality

Discipline-specific handbooks for each program can be downloaded from this page. They contain detailed information on learning outcomes, activities and assessment. They must be read in conjunction with the RCPA Trainee Handbook - Administrative Requirements, which contains essential information relevant to all programs.

RCPA Trainee Handbook - Administrative Requirements 2022 (461 kB)


Changes to discipline specific handbooks

Changes to the medical (except Clinical Forensic Medicine) and dental trainee handbooks were introduced in 2021. These were approved by the Board of Education and Assessment, following consultation with RCPA Fellows and Trainees.

The changes are aligned with the AMC and MCNZ accreditation standards for our curricula. They are intended to provide clear definition of expectations of trainees as they progress through training, particularly with respect to the ‘non-technical’ domains including professionalism, communication, leadership and scholarship. They are expressed as milestones at the levels of:

  • Foundation: first year of training
  • Core: mid program/part 1 level
  • Transition to Fellowship: end of program standard

Assessment requirements are detailed in each handbook.

 

Fellowship of RCPA for Medical Graduates  

From January 2019 the Fellowship in Anatomical Pathology no longer requires training or assessment in autopsy. Trainees who wish to have evidence of competency in autopsy are required to undertake a separate Autopsy Certificate.

Anatomical Pathology Trainee Handbook 2022 (1 MB)
Anatomical Pathology Summary of Changes - Handbook 2022 (41 kB)
Anatomical Pathology Portfolio Summary Spreadsheet 2022 (79 kB)
Anatomical Pathology e-log 2022 (107 kB)
Genetic Pathology Biochemical Genetics Trainee Handbook 2022 (915 kB)
Genetic Pathology Biochemical Genetics Summary of Changes - Handbook 2022 (38 kB)
Genetic Pathology Biochemical Genetics Portfolio Summary Spreadsheet 2022 (77 kB)
Genetic Pathology Medical Genomics Trainee Handbook 2022 (1 MB)
Genetic Pathology Medical Genomics Summary of Changes - Handbook 2022 (38 kB)
Genetic Pathology Medical Genomics Portfolio Summary Spreadsheet 2022 (83 kB)

 

Clinical Genetics and Genetic Pathology Reciprocal Training Arrangement Guide

This guide has been developed by the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) and the Royal College of Pathologists (RCPA) to provide trainees and supervisors with advice on how to complete Advanced Physician Training in Clinical Genetics concurrently with training in Genetic Pathology.

For RACP related queries, please go to Clinical Genetics and Genetic Pathology Reciprocal Training Queries

Further details can be found here

The Faculty of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology offers training for two fellowships. The Fellowship in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology is open to registered dental practitioners in addition to medical graduates.

The Fellowship in Forensic Odontology involves the application of extensive dental-specific knowledge to legal and criminal issues and is open to registered dental practitioners. Forensic Odontology is a new discipline for the College having called for founding fellows in 2013.  The College currently has accredited training sites in Sydney and Melbourne. Please direct any queries to registrar@rcpa.edu.au

Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology Trainee Handbook 2022 (960 kB)
Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology Summary of Changes - Handbook 2022 (39 kB)
Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology Portfolio Summary Spreadsheet 2022 (52 kB)

Post-Fellowship Diploma in Biochemical Genetic Pathology
Post-Fellowship Diploma in Biochemical Genetic Pathology Handbook 2022 (654 kB)
Post-Fellowship Diploma in Biochemical Genetic Pathology Portfolio Summary Spreadsheet 2022 (77 kB)


Post-Fellowship Diploma in Cytopathology
Post-Fellowship Diploma - Cytopathology Handbook 2022 (163 kB)

NB Enquiries regarding this program are to be made to the College directly via bea@rcpa.edu.au

 

Post-Fellowship Diploma in Dermatopathology
Post-Fellowship Diploma - Dermatopathology Handbook 2022 (520 kB)
Post-Fellowship Diploma - Dermatopathology Summary of Changes - Handbook 2022 (36 kB)
Application for Training Determination 2022 (240 kB)
Dermoatopathology elog 2022 (64 kB)
RCPA PFDipDerm_Sample Slide and Answer (72 kB)
RCPA PFDipDerm_Written Exam_Sample Question and Answer 1 (128 kB)
RCPA PFDipDerm_Written Exam_Sample Question and Answer 2 (170 kB)

Post-Fellowship Diploma in Forensic Pathology
Post-Fellowship Diploma in Forensic Pathology Trainee Handbook 2022 (934 kB)
Post Fellowship Diploma in Forensic Pathology Summary of Changes - Handbook 2022 (87 kB)
Post Fellowship Diploma in Forensic Pathology Portfolio Summary Spreadsheet 2022 (79 kB)
Post Fellowship Diploma in Forensic Pathology eLog 2022 (27 kB)

Post-Fellowship Diploma in Neuropathology
Post-Fellowship Diploma in Neuropathology Trainee Handbook 2022 (668 kB)
Post Fellowship Diploma in Neuropathology Summary of Changes - Handbook 2022 (38 kB)
Neuropathology Pathology Portfolio Summary Spreadsheet 2022 (78 kB)
 
Post-Fellowship Diploma in Paediatric Pathology
Post-Fellowship Diploma in Paediatric Pathology Trainee Handbook 2022 (655 kB)
Post-Fellowship Diploma in Paediatric Pathology Summary of Changes - Handbook 2022 (38 kB)
Paediatric Pathology Portfolio Summary Spreadsheet 2022 (84 kB)

The Training and Assessment Pathway will be offered for those who do not meet RPL requirements, but who require upskilling in molecular/genomic methods within their discipline. Requirements for this pathway will be fulfilled through attainment of competency, rather than by a defined training time, with appropriate supervision and both formative and summative assessments. If you wish to undertake in the Training and Assessment Pathway or require further information regarding this pathway, please contact the College at genomicsupervision@rcpa.edu.au.

Anatomical Pathology

Chemical Pathology

Haematology

Immunopathology

Microbiology

From January 2019 the Fellowship in Anatomical Pathology no longer requires training or assessment in autopsy. Trainees who wish to have evidence of competency in autopsy are required to undertake a separate Autopsy Certificate.

The Autopsy Certificate handbook describes pathways to certification in three categories of certificate: perinatal, paediatric and adult.

The Certificate may be done either during Fellowship training in Anatomical or General Pathology or as a post-Fellowship certificate and will be available for:

  • New entrants from beginning 2019 and
  • Current trainees who have not already done the formal autopsy assessment
Please email any queries to bea@rcpa.edu.au 
Certificate in Autopsy 2022 (336 kB)
Certificate in Autopsy Summary of Changes - Handbook 2022 (38 kB)

The College has instituted the Certificate in Forensic Medicine (Cert For Med) as a qualification for candidates not eligible for the Fellowship or Post-Fellowship Diploma in Forensic Pathology. The Certificate in Forensic Medicine is set at a standard below that of Fellowship and of the Diploma in Forensic Pathology, to provide some assurance of competence and analytical ability in the major areas of forensic pathology. An updated version of the Trainee handbook will be available in the future.

Certificate in Forensic Pathology Trainee Handbook 2022 (217 kB)

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Copyright © 2022 RCPA. All rights reserved.

03-May-2022
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