Preparing final-year residents and empowering new consultants
The RCP's six-step programme is aimed at final year residents and new consultants, focused on preparation for the consultant role and clinical leadership skills.
This comprehensive CPD approved new-consultant development programme focuses on self-development, managing others, job planning, improvement and efficiency.
This programme covers all the major aspects of the consultant role that you need to know – be prepared to step into the role with confidence.
Join us to enhance your leadership skills and connect with fellow new consultants.
Register your interest"I started the course as a registrar and finished as a consultant with my dream job plan! This course was instrumental in helping me achieve this goal. Each teaching day had a theme with experts in the field as speakers".
Weijia Zhang
Consultant Neurologist, 2023-24 graduate
Who should apply?
The programme is aimed at final year residents, SAS doctors who have applied for specialist registration via the Portfolio pathway and will imminently take on a consultant role, and new consultants who have recently transitioned into their consultant role.
Why choose our programme?
Our development programme for final year residents and new consultants focuses on enhancing your capabilities and career growth. With expert-led sessions and a supportive community, you'll acquire the skills needed to succeed.
Teaching days are interactive allowing learners to work together and explore specific areas important to the consultant role. Guest speakers will feature throughout the programme, sharing their knowledge and experience.
- Day 1: Developing yourself and your role – ‘Things you need to know when you first start’
- Day 2: Managing others and culture – ‘Leadership, culture and teamwork’
- Day 3: Working within the legal structures of your role – ‘Conquering complaints’
- Day 4: The NHS, improvement and efficiency – ‘Mastering management’
- Day 5: Developing team culture – ‘Equality, inclusivity and understanding difference’
- Day 6: Onward into the future – ‘Onward journey.’
- Day 1: Thursday 6 November 2025 (face-to-face)
- Day 2: Wednesday 14 January 2026 (online, joint cohorts)
- Day 3: Thursday 5 March 2026 (face-to-face)
- Day 4: Thursday 14 May 2026 (online, joint cohorts)
- Day 5: Tuesday 7 July 2026 (face-to-face)
- Day 6: Tuesday 15 September 2026 (face-to-face).
- Day 1: Thursday 13 November 2025 (face-to-face)
- Day 2: Wednesday 14 January 2026 (online, joint cohorts)
- Day 3: Monday 16 March 2026 (face-to-face)
- Day 4: Thursday 14 May 2026 (online, joint cohorts)
- Day 5: Wednesday 15 July 2026 (face-to-face)
- Day 6: Tuesday 22 September 2026 (face-to-face).
TBC - register your interest to be updated when dates are live.
TBC - register your interest to be updated when dates are live.
TBC - register your interest to be updated when dates are live.
The six-step new consultant programme provides networking opportunities for professional growth and collaboration. Learners engage in interactive sessions, group discussions, and workshops that are facilitated by experienced clinical faculty.
Networking is integral to the programme, providing a platform for sharing experiences, exchanging ideas, and building lasting professional relationships.
Connect with peers at a similar career stage, across different specialities and trusts. Develop peer support and build valuable professional relationships to develop skills and confidence.
Engage in a curriculum tailored to your career growth and the complex leadership challenges you might face when transitioning into your new consultant role.
Learn from experienced senior leaders in healthcare about key topics such as ‘serious incidents’ and ‘handling complaints.’
Enjoy inspiring taught content, delivered by expert facilitators, covering medical leadership theory. Delivered in practical ways to enable you to implement in the workplace and put theory into practice straightaway and tailored to your career growth and leadership development.
Each workshop day is approved for 5 external CPD credits, a total of 30 CPD credits.
Our experienced medical educationalists work collaboratively to co-design programmes with senior clinicians who are active in hospitals throughout the UK. This ensures our courses remain relevant and respond to the changing needs of the clinical workforce, enabling high quality patient-centred care.
This unique partnership approach is key to the value and success of our programmes both in the UK and internationally. Each course combines on-the-ground experience and professional knowledge of medical practice in the NHS, alongside educational theory, teaching and practical skills, designed for every stage of your career.
We offer significant discounts to RCP Members on all our education activities. Non-members are always welcome, but we encourage you to join the RCP, whatever your grade or specialty, to benefit from great-value professional development opportunities. Find out more about membership.
Resident members will pay slightly less than consultant members, and our virtual classroom events are priced lower than in-person sessions to ensure professional development is accessible and affordable to everyone. You must be an RCP Member to be eligible for the membership rates.
Flexible payment plans for higher value in-depth programmes can be arranged, and we can directly invoice employers with the appropriate authorisation. Fees can be split over two financial years, and we encourage the use of study budgets and trust top-ups to fund the programme.
Please contact education.courses@rcp.ac.uk if you have any queries about fees or payments.
In-person programme fees
- Member – resident doctor or equivalent SAS grades - £1320 (Members save 40% / £900)
- Member – Consultant or equivalent SAS grades - £1425 (Members save 36% / £795)
- Non-member – (all grades) - £2220.
Virtual classroom programme fees
- Member – resident doctor or equivalent SAS grades - £1220 (Members save 39% / £780)
- Member – Consultant or equivalent SAS grades - £1335 (Members save 33% / £665)
- Non-member – (all grades) - £2000.
We can work with Trusts to develop long-term partnerships for staff development, reserving places on programmes, offering discounts for multiple bookings, and working with you and the learners to develop impactful workplace-based development.
If you are an employer wishing to secure a place on the programme but have not identified your applicant, please contact us and we will be able to reserve a place for your learner(s).
If you are wishing to book multiple places on the programme, please contact us for a multi-seat discount: education.courses@rcp.ac.uk
If you have any queries about this programme, or would like to speak to a course lead, please contact us at education.courses@rcp.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)20 3075 1563
If you are ready to apply, please register your interest here.