Portfolio & evidence
Useful things to do before you apply
These are development ideas, not a claim about points in a particular recruitment cycle. Check the current official person specification and scoring guidance before relying on any activity for an application.
Choose teaching or QI that involves children, families, safeguarding, transitions or communication where possible.
Keep examples showing how you adapted communication to age, development and family context.
Use current RCPCH child-health data to understand why advocacy and prevention matter.
Reflect on multidisciplinary working across hospital, community, education and social care.
Finish one bounded project and document your action, result and reflection instead of collecting passive certificates.
Royal College / Faculty watchlist
Current topics worth understanding
These are concise summaries of current professional-body material, not predicted interview questions. Use them to understand the specialty and then read the primary source.
State of Child Health 2026
RCPCH's 2026 report uses 12 indicators and highlights recurring concerns around child-health data, inequalities and investment.
Why it matters for a candidate: Paediatrics extends beyond individual diagnoses. Health inequalities, prevention, data quality and advocacy are important parts of improving outcomes for children.
Read the primary sourcePaediatric workforce and rota gaps
RCPCH's workforce hub brings together current evidence on staffing, flexible working, waiting times and training, including a 2024 survey reporting rota gaps over 20% in three UK nations.
Why it matters for a candidate: Connect staffing to supervision, training quality, continuity, waiting time and retention. Discuss reliable escalation and sustainable team design rather than quoting numbers alone.
Read the primary sourceTransition to adult services
RCPCH's 2026 work highlights persistent risks when young people move between child and adult services, including gaps in ownership, information and developmentally appropriate support.
Why it matters for a candidate: Start transition early, involve the young person, coordinate medicines and records, and confirm which adult team has accepted responsibility before paediatric follow-up ends.
Read the primary sourceUseful stuff
Official tools you can actually use
Complete Paediatrics ST1 hub
Current eligibility, 2027–28 scoring, evidence grids, career information, training, exams and all focused guides in one public cluster.
Read on The Interview Bank The Interview BankPaediatrics shortlisting builder
Practical strong, weak and gap-closing advice for all five published 2027–28 shortlisting areas.
Read on The Interview Bank The Interview BankFour focused interview guides
Start with Communication, then move through Career Motivation, Clinical Reasoning and Reflective Practice with original prompts.
Read on The Interview Bank RCPCHProgress+ curriculum
The official learning outcomes, key capabilities and two training levels from Core ST1–ST4 to Specialty ST5–ST7.
Open resource RCPCHState of Child Health 2026
A current evidence-led overview of child health outcomes, inequalities and priorities across the UK.
Open resourceInterview reflection
Turn exploration into a real “Why Paediatrics?” answer
Which aspects of development, family partnership and broad clinical care make the work more interesting to you?
Start with something you genuinely experienced. Explain what it taught you about the work, what appealed to you, what challenge you noticed and what you did next.