Frequently Asked Questions about iMAP
What
is iMAP?
Who can use the iMAP
templates?
Who can gain MRCGP
through iMAP?
How much does iMAP cost?
When does iMAP finish?
What is Modular iMAP and how does
it compare to Portfolio iMAP?
Can I
switch between portfolio and modular iMAP?
Do I need to
complete all of the criteria?
What needs to be done for
iMAP?
What is the iMAP
portfolio?
What is the standard for
iMAP?
How does
iMAP fit with the annual appraisal for PCOs?
How does iMAP fit
with Revalidation?
How easy is it
to organise the iMAP workload?
What is the timescale in
place for iMAP?
What happens if
there is more than two years between the oldest and newest criteria
and I am doing Modular iMAP?
Can I
switch between Portfolio iMAP and Modular iMAP?
Are there study days for
iMAP?
Are there local iMAP
Advisors?
Can I
submit one or more Criteria at a time for marking?
How is the iMAP
Portfolio assessed?
How many times
can written work be submitted?
What is the Oral
Assessment?
How is the Oral
Assessment structured?
How many times can we do
the Oral?
What is the pass rate for
iMAP?
What is iMAP?
iMAP provides an opportunity for
established GPs to become members of the RCGP. It comprises two
distinct assessment stages – the production of a satisfactory
portfolio followed by an oral assessment.
The portfolio can either be submitted
as one document or as fifteen separate documents which, when put
together, make up the full portfolio. The oral assessment takes the
same format for all candidates.
Gaining membership through iMAP
confers the MRCGP and is the same as any other route to
membership.
Who can use the iMAP
templates?
Anyone can download and use the iMAP
templates. If you already have MRCGP, are not be eligible to gain
MRCGP through iMAP, or do not wish to gain MRCGP, you can still use
the individual iMAP criterion templates to have any element of your
GP practice independently assessed.
Who can gain MRCGP through
iMAP?
Applicants must hold a Certificate of
Completion of Training (CCT) or Certificate of Eligibility for
General Practice Registration (CEGPR), formerly a Statement of
Eligibility for Registration, from the GMC / PMETB, or a
Certificate of Prescribed or Equivalent Experience from the
JCPTGP.
In addition, candidates must hold full
registration without restrictions and with no outstanding
complaints or clinical governance issues with the GMC, currently
hold a licence to practice according to the GMC, be on the GP
register, have received certification to practice as a GP.
Candidates working in the NHS must be on a Performers List of a
Primary Care Organisation or Health Board and should have no
outstanding complaints or clinical governance issues.
How much does iMAP
cost?
If you choose to complete portfolio
iMAP, there are three fee instalments: £990 at application stage,
£770 at portfolio submission stage, and £770 when you are invited
to attend the oral assessment.
If you choose to complete modular
iMAP, the cost is £120 for each criterion that you submit, and £770
oral assessment fee when your eligibility to undertake iMAP has
been confirmed.
In exceptional circumstances a reduced
fee may be considered at the Honorary Treasurer’s discretion.
The services for the MSF and PSQ are
provided by organisations outside of the iMAP administrative
structure, so there is a small additional fee (depending on
the specific services used) which will need to be paid for by
individual candidates.
If you choose to complete modular
iMAP, there is also a small fee for either the EKU/EKC or nPEP for
Criterion 8 – Maintaining Good Medical Practice. These are free of
charge if you complete portfolio iMAP, and the EKU is free of
charge to all RCGP members and Associate members.
When does iMAP
finish?
Currently iMAP will continue to accept
applications and original portfolio and criterion submissions until
31 December 2012. Resubmission of portfolios and criteria,
and oral assessments will continue after this date.
What is
Modular iMAP and how does it compare to Portfolio
iMAP?
Modular iMAP is the same assessment as
iMAP, which itself remains unchanged, but offers the assessment in
an alternative format. The purpose of Modular iMAP is to allow
maximum flexibility. It will also allow those who do not want to
become members, or those who are already members, to have their
work assessed.
Both Modular iMAP and Portfolio iMAP
are available, you will need to decide which format will suit you
better. Click here for an outline of the two processes.
Can I switch between Portfolio
iMAP and Modular iMAP?
No. Once you have chosen which method
will suit you best, if you have submitted any work, you will need
to continue with that method.
Do I need to complete all of
the criteria?
If you want to use iMAP to gain MRCGP,
yes, each of the fifteen criteria will need to have been accepted
by our assessors, and if you complete Portfolio iMAP (rather than
Modular iMAP) your portfolio in its entirety will need to have
been accepted by our assessors.
If you want to use the iMAP
templates to look at certain aspects of your practice, you can
submit only the criteria that you wish.
What needs to be done for
iMAP?
iMAP requires you to complete a
portfolio of activities that you carry out during the working day.
The portfolio breaks these down into fifteen separate activities or
criteria. The iMAP Handbook details exactly what you need to
document, but it should be relevant to and achievable by GPs with a
wide variety of work patterns.
The oral assessment is the same for
those who complete Portfolio iMAP and Modular iMAP.
iMAP asks you what you have done and
to explain why you have done it. The ‘why you have done it’ or the
justification of your actions is very much at the heart of
iMAP.
What is the iMAP
portfolio?
The iMAP portfolio is a Word document
which provides a template for you to complete with your evidence
and reflection. You will either use the single Criterion templates
or the single Portfolio template with contains all of the criteria.
These are all on the RCGP website. You will need to download the
relevant template and complete it as per the Handbook. When
completed, this should then be e-mailed to the iMAP office at the
RCGP.
What is the standard for
iMAP?
iMAP is the standard of entry to
membership of the RCGP; it does not require swotting up factual
knowledge as you might have done at medical school but asks you to
reflect on your current clinical practice and to ask yourself ‘What
have I done and why have I done it?’. iMAP should give you the
opportunity to re-examine and question aspects of longstanding
clinical practice, the effectiveness of which you might have not
considered for some time. iMAP does not expect perfection but wants
evidence of a reflective practitioner who is willing to question
and improve their performance.
How does iMAP fit with the
annual appraisal for PCOs?
iMAP is modelled on the appraisal
portfolio and an appraiser should accept the iMAP portfolio or
criteria in the portfolio for appraisal with very little additional
information.
How does iMAP fit with
Revalidation?
Five areas required for Revalidation are also
required for iMAP. These are:
- Significant Event Analysis
- Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire
- Multi-Source Feedback
- Audit
- Complaints
You should find that the iMAP portfolio templates
provide a good structure by which to fulfil the requirements for
Revalidation. The other criteria in iMAP can be used as
additional supporting information for Revalidation / appraisal.
How easy is it to organise the
iMAP workload?
Some criteria will be relatively
straightforward to complete, for example, the criterion on acute
illnesses asks you to produce a log of 20 patients with acute
problems that you have managed. This means you could search back to
2 or 3 surgeries you did a week or two ago and use those patients
for your log.
Some criteria, such as the audit, will
require more planning and preparation.
Nearly all of the work for iMAP can be
done by looking back on your activity and does not have to be
‘prospective’. This gives a lot of control of when you do your work
for iMAP. However, some organisation will be needed and we strongly
recommend that you give yourself regular protected time to work on
your portfolio.
What is the timescale for
iMAP?
If you choose to do Portfolio iMAP,
you will need to submit your portfolio within one year of
application. The five criteria required for Revalidation may be up
to five years old on the date that you submit the portfolio. The
evidence for the remaining criteria must be no more than one year
old on the date that you submit the portfolio.
If you choose to do Modular iMAP,
there must be no more than two years between submission of the
first and last criteria. The five criteria required for
Revalidation may be up to five years old on the date that you
submit the portfolio. The evidence for the remaining criteria must
be no more than one year old on the date that you submit the
portfolio.
What happens if
there is more than two years between the oldest and newest criteria
and I am doing Modular iMAP?
If any of your criteria are now out of
date, you will need to re-do those criteria with new, in-date
material, paying the relevant submission fees again before you can
be invited to attend the oral. The five criteria that are required
for revalidation may be up to five years old when you submit
them.
Are there study days for
iMAP?
Yes. The details of upcoming study
days can be found on the Study Day
page
Are there local iMAP
Advisors?
Most areas now have an iMAP Advisor.
Please contact your local faculty for information regarding what is
in place in your local area. Contact details for your local faculty
can be found here
Can I submit one or more
Criteria at a time for marking?
Yes. You can choose to either submit
all the criteria together in one document (the complete portfolio)
for marking, or you can submit the criteria individually or in
batches.
How is the iMAP Portfolio
assessed?
Once the iMAP office receives your
submission it is sent out to two iMAP assessors who mark it
independently and then confer. Your marked portfolio will contain
the combined comments from both assessors and will be sent back to
you by the iMAP office.
If the submission is not of an
acceptable standard, the assessors indicate where the issues are
and it is sent back to the candidate to make the relevant
alterations and resubmit within the timeframe indicated by the iMAP
office. A criterion may be sent back for minor re-writing (resubmit
within one month), or it may be judged by the Assessors to need
redoing completely (resubmit within three months).
If all fifteen of the criteria have
been assessed as being of an acceptable standard, you will be
invited for the oral assessment.
How many times can written
work be submitted?
A maximum of two re-writes of each
criterion (original submission and two re-writes) is permitted.
If you are doing Portfolio iMAP and
any of your portfolio is not accepted after the three attempts, you
will need to produce a new portfolio containing entirely fresh
evidence.
If you are doing Modular iMAP you will
need to submit entirely new material for that criterion and pay the
submission fee again.
What is the Oral
Assessment?
The purpose of the oral assessment is
to check your understanding of your portfolio and to be able to
justify what you do in practice. It is very important to refresh
your memory of your portfolio before attending the orals.
The oral assessment is the same for
those who complete Portfolio iMAP and Modular iMAP.
How is the Oral Assessment
structured?
The oral assessment lasts for 90 mins
and is divided into three separate sessions with three different
pairs of iMAP assessors. There is a 5 min break between each
session.
The first session (Oral 1) lasts 40
mins and comprises a discussion mainly around the portfolio you
have submitted. The questions will be based around elements of the
portfolio where the justification for your action might not be
clear or require further explorations. Some of these issues will
have been highlighted by the assessors who have marked your
portfolio prior to the oral assessment. You will therefore be aware
of what these issues are before the oral assessment.
The second part of the oral is divided
into two (Orals 2 & 3) and the questions are based on the
criteria in the iMAP Handbook. The basis of the oral assessment is
to discuss with you how you justify particular actions or
approaches to your work. This is an opportunity for you to reflect
on what you do and review the evidence that underpins your
professional activity.
How many times can we do the
Oral?
You may take the oral up to two times
per application
What is the pass rate for
iMAP?
There is no set pass rate. It is felt
that many of the GPs who do not pass are perfectly able GPs but
simply had not spent sufficient time in questioning their
professional activity and considering how they might improve
it.
iMAP should be an achievable goal for
all established GPs.
If you require further information,
please email the iMAP Office (imap@rcgp.org.uk).