Person specification, not an invented points grid
Build evidence for structured answers without portfolio theatre
No current official O&G ST1 portfolio self-assessment grid or evidence-upload process is published. Build truthful, verifiable examples because they support the application, structured interview and professional development, not because every certificate carries a hidden score.
Commitment and informed specialty understanding
Use exposure across obstetrics and gynaecology to explain the work, pressures and trade-offs you observed. RCOG says Part 1 MRCOG is not required and gives no direct recruitment advantage.
- A taster followed through clinic, labour ward, theatre and handover, with a specific reflection on team decisions or patient communication.
- A passive attendance certificate or early Part 1 MRCOG presented as a recruitment requirement.
- Arrange two contrasting sessions and debrief them with a trainee or supervisor.
Quality improvement and audit
Choose a defined standard or service problem, show your role, measure a baseline, agree a change and assess the result. A small completed local project is more defensible than a large unfinished idea.
- A handover or pathway change with baseline, intervention, repeat measure and shared learning.
- Data collection with no standard, analysis, recommendation or personal contribution.
- Book a presentation date and complete the smallest useful remeasure before application.
Teaching and communication
Show how you identified a learner need, designed and delivered teaching, evaluated it and changed later delivery. Patient explanations and multidisciplinary teaching may supply stronger communication reflection than a certificate alone.
- Repeated teaching with feedback analysis and one documented improvement.
- Attendance on a teaching course without applying it.
- Repeat one focused session after acting on learner feedback.
Research and evidence-based practice
Be precise about design, recruitment, data, analysis, writing and dissemination. The person specification values research understanding; it does not make an academic degree or publication a prerequisite.
- A defined contribution you can explain, including limitations and the clinical question.
- Passive group membership, GCP alone or a submitted abstract described as accepted.
- Ask a local or trainee research team for one bounded task with a deadline and named supervisor.
Leadership, teamwork and prioritisation
Prepare examples where you coordinated people, made a decision, allocated work or raised concern. The strongest examples show the effect on patients or the team and what you changed afterwards.
- A pressured shift example with your decision, communication, escalation and outcome.
- A role title without a decision, result or reflection.
- Reconstruct one real event with dates, stakeholders, alternatives and feedback.
From understanding to practice
Put this topic into an interview answer
Use Structured interview for original prompts and an answer structure relevant to this topic.
Explore O&G ST1 practiceExplore the Question bank and spoken practice coming at launch.Spoken practice is launching soon. Use the free questions and guides to start preparing now.
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