Assessment

Introduction

Assessment of placement and coursework is one of the fundamental foundations of the training scheme and exists to fulfil several important functions. First, assessment provides a system of standard setting whereby trainees are judged whether their academic and clinical performance merits the award of a doctorate from the University. It also serves a crucial role of professional gatekeeping to ensure that clients are not exposed to incompetent practitioners. The assessment strategy is designed to ensure that trainees successfully completing this programme can be shown to meet the standards of proficiency that are required by the Health and Care Professions Council for registration as a clinical psychologist.

The principle of a professional doctorate is the integration of the pursuit of academic knowledge with its application within fieldwork or practical settings. Essentially, trainees who pass the clinical doctorate will be examined and have been judged to demonstrate at least adequate competence within all the following areas:

• Psychological knowledge and theory relevant to clinical psychology

• Application of psychological knowledge to practice

• Knowledge and understanding of professional issues

• Clinical competence and professional conduct

• Research ability

These areas will be assessed based on Academic Clinical Projects (ACPs), Short Answer Questions (SAQs), Clinical Practice Reports (CPRs), the Observed Clinical Skills Assessment (OCSA) and the Assessment of Clinical Competence (ACC) made by supervisors on placement and a research thesis. Consideration of professional aspects of practice is integral to each and all of these assessment processes. Research ability will be assessed via the research project and Academic Clinical Projects.