In addition to internal medicine training, there is an alternative route into physicianly training - via acute care common stem (ACCS).
The aim of ACCS training is to produce multi-competent junior doctors able to recognise and manage the sick patient, and who have the complementary specialty training required for higher specialty training.
ACCS is currently a three-year programme during which trainees will get experience of acute medicine, critical care, anaesthetics, emergency medicine and general medical specialties.
ACCS training (normally) follows foundation year 2, as does IMT. Recruitment to ACCS is done via separate streams, dependent on the parent specialty.
Please note the ACCS curriculum is under review and the Acute Medicine stream will be aligned to the new IMT programme. It is proposed that the new programme will be four years in duration with two years of common ACCS training followed by two years of IMT training. This will be subject to GMC approval. There will be a transition process for trainees who are already on the ACCS-AM programme or who have completed ACCS-AM previously to ensure they are eligible for entry to higher medical specialties.
While the first two years of ACCS will share a common curriculum, and any competences acquired are transferable, it is not possible to switch between ACCS career paths without a further competitive selection process.
Candidates are therefore advised to select their initial ACCS pathway of choice with care.
Please visit the ACCS website for more information.