Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT)

Paediatricians are legally required to be listed on the Specialist Register at the General Medical Council (GMC) when they take up a substantive, honorary or fixed-term consultant appointment in the NHS. As a trainee, you must apply to the College for confirmation of your completion of training to enter the Specialist Register.
Status
Last modified
11 August 2022

How to apply

You must apply for your completion of training through RCPCH ePortfolio.

When your outcome 6 ARCP is available on ePortfolio, go to your account dashboard and create a new event: 'Completion form (CCT)'. The completion form will guide you through submitting the details needed to approve your completion of training.

After you submit your form, we may email you for additional details. If we have not received the additional information one month after requesting it, we may reject your CCT application and you will need to re-apply.

CCT or CESR (CP)?

To receive a CCT and enter the Specialist Register, you need to complete a UK training programme that carries GMC approval. You do not need to have sequential or contiguous years of training, though you must have at least one ARCP outcome plus an outcome 6 ARCP.

Trainees who completed training before 31 December 2020 and received an outcome 6 ARCP without undertaking the entire run-through programme may have been awarded the Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (Combined Programme) (CESR (CP)). Doctors with CESR (CP) may apply to the GMC for retrospective granting of CCT. Please see the CESR (CP) page for more details. 

CCT is one of several routes to Specialist Registration offered by the GMC. All routes are equivalent and the GMC does not list your type of certification in your entry on the Specialist Register.

Sub-specialty recognition

Only trainees who have been approved for sub-specialty training within the NTN grid may have a sub-specialty listed on the Specialist Register. Your completion form on ePortfolio should list your sub-specialty.

You can see more information about sub-specialty recognition.

Completing your application

You will complete your application form via your RCPCH ePortfolio using the form titled Completion Form (CCT). You will need to supply a CV with details of all posts held while in training. The RCPCH requires only certain details from your relevant posts, so please consult the CV template and formatting guidelines below.

We will contact you if further details or documentation are required, such as ARCPs not on ePortfolio or OOPT/OOPR approvals.

What happens next?

The RCPCH will review your application to ensure that all your training requirements have been met and then make a recommendation to the GMC. When the recommendation has been made, the College will inform you by email.

The GMC will contact you once you have submitted your application to the RCPCH, to inform you about completing your entry to the Specialist Register and what fees are payable. You do not pay a separate fee to the College.

The GMC will not enter you on the Specialist Register until your training has finished.

At peak times of the year it may take up to six weeks to process applications.

Late applications

You must have your application for CCT completed with the GMC within 12 months from your end of training date. A 'last minute' application submitted to the RCPCH may not be reviewed and approved in time for the GMC to accept it.

Any doctor who does not have their certification approved by the GMC within that time will have to apply for Specialist Registration through equivalence (CESR).

If you apply for CCT more than six months after completing training, the GMC may require you to submit further documentation, including reasons for the delay and evidence of professional activities since the completion date, before Specialist Registration is approved.

If you do not appear on the Specialist Register by the time you are due to start a consultant post you will need to request a locum contract from your Trust. The Trust will update your employment once you are on the Specialist Register.

The College will continue to charge for your training fees until we have processed your CCT application.

There is a six month period of grace after the end of training during which you may retain your NTN if a consultant post has not been secured. One-off extensions beyond the period of grace may be granted in exceptional circumstances by the Postgraduate Dean or Head of School.

Frequently asked questions

When can I start applying for consultant posts?

Application for NHS consultant posts may be made if the date for interviews is not more than six months before your expected CCT date.

Do I need to be on the Specialist Register to start a Consultant post?

You must be in a training post on your CCT date, so you cannot start a consultant post until you are past your completion date. If your CCT application is delayed and you have a consultant post already lined up, you can usually start the post as a Locum until your name is on the Specialist Register.

Why is my application being delayed?

Even when applicants have supplied all the requested information, we may still need further details or clarification from the Deanery or Regional Advisor before a full record of successful training can be confirmed.

Why hasn’t the GMC contacted me yet?

The GMC should first contact you after the College has received your CCT application. It may take up to three weeks for the GMC to process an application once the recommendation and fee have been received. If you have not received your CCT by three weeks after your CCT was approved by the RCPCH, please contact the GMC directly.

Why is my registration date on the Specialist Register different?

Your CCT date does not appear on the Specialist Register, just the date the GMC approved your registration, even if this is a long time later.

What do I do if not all of my training was in ST posts?

When you submit your application, the RCPCH will tell you if it needs further information to confirm your posts were approved for training. This may include approval for out of programme posts to count towards training, approval for Acting Up, and/or training reports from your supervisor.

Can I submit a late application?

The RCPCH will accept all applications and make recommendations to the GMC accordingly, but the GMC has advised that it will not accept recommendations received more than 12 months after completion of training. The GMC will decide on whether or not a late application is acceptable.

How much does it cost?

The RCPCH will process your CCT application as part of your membership. You will need to make a payment to the GMC to process your entry on the Specialist Register. The GMC will contact you about this once you submit your application to the RCPCH.

CV guidelines for CCT applications

Include your full name (surname and all forenames), GMC number, NTN, full contact details, official sub-specialty recognition in a paediatric sub-specialty (GRID training) where applicable and future aspirations.

Your CV must include a detailed career history so we can assess your training. Include everything you have done since you started paediatrics training (eg from ST1 or SHO) regardless of whether it counts towards training. List the following for each post in date order, earliest to latest (an example is further below):

  • title of post (include grade and specialty)
  • exact dates on which the post started and finished (day, month and year)
  • full time or part time; if part time, include number of sessions worked per week
  • duration; if part time, include a pro rata calculation
  • name of the hospital or centre, with full address
  • name(s) of supervising consultant(s)
  • outline of duties undertaken

Clearly indicate any locum, LAT, FTSTA, LAS, OOP and acting up posts. LAT and acting up posts need to have been approved.

For any fellowship or research period that involved both research and clinical commitments, include the number of sessions spent in each area per week.

Include any significant periods of absence longer than 30 days, including sick leave, parental leave and OOP, and give exact dates (day, month and year) for start and end of leave. Dates should not overlap.

All requested details are essential. Inconsistencies with your CV, including typing errors, cannot be corrected by the Training Services team and we will ask you to amend errors. If essential information is omitted or conflicts your application form, we will likely need to halt processing your application and contact you for clarification.

Example of how to structure your CV

Dates Post details Location

01/03/12 - 31/08/12

6 months full time

ST1
General Paediatrics and Neonatology

Duties included daily general ward rounds, admitting urgent referrals, neonatal ward rounds, post-natal checks, attending high risk deliveries, outpatient clinic fortnightly...

Other hospital
Elsewhere
Non-UK

Supervisors:
Dr A Laugh
Dr F Near

01/09/12 - 01/03/14

18 months full time

ST4-ST5
PICU/ NICU (9 months each)

Duties included daily ward round, transporting patients to units, daily radiology meeting
Weekly PICU meeting, monthly NICU journal club.
Twice weekly consultant ward round and twice weekly multidisciplinary assessment clinics.
The NICU had 10 intensive care beds and 4 high dependency beds...

Hope Hopsital
133 Goods Way
Othertown
UK

Supervisors:
Dr E Scrooge
Dr J Morley

02/03/14 - 31/08/14 Parental leave  

01/09/14 - 31/08/15

Part time
12 months at 60% = 7.2 months

ST6
Community Paediatrics

SpR ward round weekly
General clinic weekly
Covered ambulatory care unit weekly
Grand round weekly
Twice weekly MDT assessment clinics
Weekly teaching
Visits with therapists/ child protection assessments
Urgent referral clinics

Paddington Bear Hospital
Paddington
London
UK

Supervisors:
Dr Who
Dr Spock