Training

Clinical Neurophysiology offers an exciting and varied career within the neurosciences for those interested in combining considerable patient contact with technical skills. It is primarily a diagnostic specialty concerned with recording electrical activity from the nervous system to aid the diagnosis, classification and management of neurological disease. Increasingly, neurophysiological techniques are used to identify surgically remediable conditions such as nerve entrapments and aid safer surgical interventions. Electroencephalography is used to classify seizure disorders and select patients for surgical amelioration of epilepsy.

The work involves interaction with a wide range of specialties, including neurology, neurosurgery, orthopaedics, rheumatology, paediatrics, ophthalmology and psychiatry, and environments that include theatre and intensive care. Most Clinical Neurophysiologists work in regional neuroscience centres.  As well having general responsibilities, many develop subspecialty interests, such as in the work-up of patients for epilepsy surgery, specialised neuromuscular disease or theatre work. For those with more academic interests the specialty also lends itself to clinical and basic science research.

Entry into Clinical Neurophysiology training is possible following successful completion of both a foundation programme and a core training programme.There are four core training programmes for Clinical Neurophysiology training:

• Internal Medicine (IM) Stage 1
• Acute Care Common Stem - Internal Medicine (ACCS-IM)
• Core Paediatrics training - visit the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health website for further details
• Core Surgical Training

The curriculum for each specialty defines the process of training and the competencies needed for the award of a certificate of completion of training (CCT). The curriculum includes the assessment system for measuring trainees’ progress comprising workplace based assessment and knowledge based assessment.

The current curriculum is given below. Supporting documents are available in the relevant sections of this page.

Clinical Neurophysiology 2021 Training Curriculum

The 2010 curriculum is below. Previous versions of the curriculum are no longer available online but copies can be requested from curriculum@jrcptb.org.uk.

The ARCP decision aid for each specialty defines the targets that have to be achieved for a satisfactory ARCP outcome at the end of each training year. 

Clinical Neurophysiology 2021 ARCP Decision Aid

The ARCP decision aid below should only be used for trainees remaining on the 2014curriculum.

Guidance for the 2021 Clinical Neurophysiology curriculum

Clinical Neurophysiology 2021 Rough Guide to Implementation

Clinical Neurophysiology 2021 CiPs mapping to previous curriculum competencies