APEX23

Professional Standards Framework 2023

A very warm welcome!

The aim of this site is to help ensure that you have identified the most suitable route for Fellowship, and to guide you through the process of developing and submitting your claim for Fellowship.

An important notice - please read carefully

APEX has now transitioned to PSF2023. All claims for Fellowship must now align to PSF2023 and not PSF2011. If you have started on PSF2011, you would have received correspondance that the submission point in June 2025 was the last opportunity to be reviewed against PSF2011.

It is therefore strongly recommended that you attend a PSF2023 micro-clinic to familarise yourself with the changes to the dimensions and the impact this will have on the evidence and narrative you need to develop in your claim.

Where to start...

To help you find your way around please follow the 5 simple steps below to get started and navigate using the menu at the top of the page.

Step 1: Download your APEX Getting Started Checklist

Whether following the written route or professional conversaton, it is really important to start by thinking about the timeframe of journey, and working towards a sensible and attainable date for submission.

You are advised to start by downloading the APEX Getting Started Checklist as this outlines the key steps that you need to take as you start your journey to Fellowship. The checklist is interactive so download and click on the links to access the relevant information and guidance whether you are following the written route or professional conversation.

1. PSF23 - APEX CHECKLIST.pdf

Step 2: Attend an APEX Orientation Event

Once you registered on the APEX programme, you are required to attend an orientation event which provides an introduction to the PSF and details the requirements of the written and professional conversation routes to Fellowship. The orientation event forms the first compulsory element of APEX.

Read more about orientation events and book your place

Step 3: Formally Register on the APEX Programme

PSF23 - APEX REGISTRATION FORM.docx

When you have decided which Fellowship pathway (written or professional conversation) is most appropriate to your level of professional practice you need to formally register on the APEX programme. Complete the registration form and email directly to apex@port.ac.uk. Registrations are kindly managed by Sarah Blows in CADI who is the font of all knowledge re: APEX!

Please ensure that you have gained approval from your line manager and clearly indicated which category of Fellowship your are applying for.

Please ensure that you download the form to your PC and complete using Microsoft Word.

Download the registration form

Step 4: Attend a Micro-Clinic

Having attended an orientation event and registered, you are reqired to book onto a micro-clinic as soon as possible as this helps maintain the momentum with your claim. Micro-clinics focus specifically on the type of content and evidence required to showcase Areas of Activity for [D1] Associate Fellow, [D2] Fellow and [D3] Senior Fellow submissions. Micro-clinics run every month and are either delivered online or face-to-face. The micro-clinics provide a foundation for both the written and professional conversation routes.

Attendance at a micro-clinic forms the second compulsory element of APEX. Please note that you need to attend a micro-clinic with 12 months of attending the orientation event. If you do not attend a micro-clinic within that 12 month period, you will be required to re-attend an orientation event.

Following the micro-clinic you will be able to engage directly with the written route or professional conversation routes.

Read more about micro-clinics and book your place