Structure of Assignment and Thesis Activity

Last Updated on 22/08/2024

This page under review following a review of the Thesis Preparation Assignment (TPA) with updates to the page due in September 2024.

2018 cohort onwards – full time route

Trainees are engaged in assessed academic activities across the three years of training in parallel to the teaching and placement activities. Whilst the exact timings will differ for each trainee, a typical timetable of this activity for a trainee on a full-time pathway is detailed in the table below.

Typical timetable of trainee assignment and thesis activity over the programme

	Self-Assessment Exercise (SAE)	Placement Assignment Live Skills (PALS#1)	Further Live Skills Assignments (PALS#2, PALS#3, PASE)	Service Improvement Poster Presentation (SIPP)	Thesis Preparation Assignment (TPA) & Thesis
YEAR 1 Sep – Oct	Initial self-appraisal written Formative roleplay & other self-assessment activities	Start first placement			Thesis supervisor allocated
Nov – Dec	Submit SAE form SAE clinical viva	Start videoing placement work for PALS			TPA proposal form submitted
Jan – Mar		Finalise choice of work for PALS. Collate information and video.			TPA introduction draft read TPA literature review section submitted
Apr – June		Submit PALS#1	Second placement begins. Decide on PALS#2 or PASE. If PASE obtain approval at placement and submit PASE proposal form IF PALS begin videoing work		Finalise thesis topic Identify Field supervisor TPA thesis proposal section submitted
Jul – Sep			Continue work on PALS#2 or PASE		Thesis proposal reviewed Thesis contract / action plan meeting Identify ethics committee(s) to apply to. Get relevant forms and deadlines for submission.
YEAR 2 Oct – Dec			Submit PALS#2 or PASE Third placement begins. Decide on PALS#3 PALS#2,or PASE (if not already completed) If PASE obtain approval at placement and submit PASE proposal form IF PALS begin videoing work	SIPP assessed project work week and presentation	Hand in complete draft ethics proposal. Finalise ethics proposal and submit for ethical approval.Decide on topic for Systematic Literature Review chapter and begin collecting references
Jan – Mar			Continue work on PALS or PASE Submit PALS or PASE.		Obtain ethical approval for thesis study. Draft introduction and method of Systematic literature review chapter
Apr-Jun			Fourth placement begins. If PASE obtain approval at placement and submit PASE proposal form IF PALS#3 begin videoing work		Draft introduction and method to Empirical paper Data collection Begin analysis
Jul – Sep			Continue work on PALS or PASE Submit PALS or PASE.		Complete data collection Review literature for Systematic review Identify topic for critical appraisal chapter
YEAR 3 Oct– Dec					Draft results and discussion of systematic literature review chapter Complete analysis of data Draft results and discussion of empirical paper
Jan – Mar					Draft critical appraisal Final drafts of other chapters Final formatting of thesis SUBMIT THESIS
Apr – Aug					Viva voce examination Corrections to thesis as required

Part time route

Structure of Assignment and Thesis Activity

Part time route

Trainees are engaged in assessed academic activities across the four years, 4 months of training in parallel to the teaching and placement activities. Whilst the exact timings will differ for each trainee, a typical timetable of this activity for a trainee on a part-time pathway is detailed in the table below.

Timepoint in training	Self-Assessment Exercise (SAE)	Placement Assignment Live Skills (PALS#1)	Further Live Skills Assignments (PALS#2, PALS#3, PASE)	Service Improvement Poster Presentation (SIPP)	Thesis Preparation Assignment (TPA) & Thesis
Year 1 Sept – Oct	Initial self-appraisal written Formative roleplay & other self-assessment activities.	Start first placement
Nov – Dec	Submit SAE form SAE clinical viva	Start videoing placement work for PALS
Feb – May		Finalise choice of work for PALS. Collate information and video.
JUNE		First placement ends
July			Second placement begins.
Aug		Submit PALS#1	Decide on PALS#2 or PASE. If PASE obtain approval at placement and submit PASE proposal form IF PALS begin videoing work
Year 2 Sept – Oct					Thesis supervisor allocated Oct – Feb 1.5 study days per week – work on TPA and PALS#2/PASE
Nov – Dec					TPA proposal form submitted
Jan					TPA introduction draft read Continue work on TPA
			Continue work on PALS#2 or PASE
March			Second placement ends	Formative SIPP	TPA literature review section submitted
April			Third placement begins Submit PALS#2 or PASE
April – Aug			Decide on PALS#3 PALS#2,or PASE (if not already completed) If PASE obtain approval at placement and submit PASE proposal form IF PALS begin videoing work		Finalise thesis topic Work on thesis proposal Identify Field supervisor
Year 3
Oct			Continue work on PALS or PASE		TPA thesis proposal section submitted
Nov – Dec					Thesis proposal reviewed Thesis contract / action plan meeting Identify ethics committee(s) to apply to. Get relevant forms and deadlines for submission.
DEC			Third placement ends
Jan			Fourth placement begins If PASE obtain approval at placement and submit PASE proposal form Submit PALS#3 or PASE.
JAN – March			IF PALS#3 begin videoing work Continue work on PALS or PASE	Summative SIPP	Hand in complete draft ethics proposal. Finalise ethics proposal and submit for ethical approval.Decide on topic for Systematic Literature Review chapter and begin collecting referencesMarch – Aug 1.5 study days per week to include some thesis study allocation
April – June			Continue work on PALS or PASE		Obtain ethical approval for thesis study. Draft introduction and method of Systematic literature review chapter
July – Sept			Continue work on PALS or PASE		Draft introduction and method to Empirical paper Data collection Begin analysis
Year 4
Oct			Fourth placement ends
Nov			Final placement begins Submit PALS#3 or PASE.		From Nov take majority of thesis study allocation in addition to 0.5 study days a week
Oct – Dec					Complete data collection Review literature for Systematic review Identify topic for critical appraisal chapter

Jan – April					Draft results and discussion of systematic literature review chapter Complete analysis of data Draft results and discussion of empirical paper
May – June					Draft critical appraisal Final drafts of other chapters
June					Final formatting of thesis
July					SUBMIT THESIS

Year 5 Sept – Oct DEC – end of training					Viva voce examination Corrections to thesis as required