🩺 CEPS: Clinical Examination & Procedural Skills

    

Clinical examination is core to being a good GP. CEPS assessments are one way in which you can evidence competence in a range of examination skills on your Fourteenfish portfolio. 

This article breaks down what CEPS is, which examinations are required, and how to stay on top of it across ST1–ST3.

    

❓ What Is CEPS?

CEPS stands for Clinical Examination and Procedural Skills. It's a core capability assessed across GP training and involves demonstrating safe, competent clinical examination technique — both for intimate and non-intimate exams.

     

✅ What Do I Need to Complete and When?

CEPS assessments should be completed regularly throughout training. You should begin completing them in ST1, with the aim of having all the mandatory intimate examinations, as well as all of the non-mandatory other skills signed off by the end of ST3.

The ARCP panel will look for evidence that you have been engaging with CEPS assessments at the end of each year. 

💡 Tip: Be opportunistic — if a patient presents with a breast lump, ask your supervisor to chaperone, observe, and sign you off. You’re bound to encounter all the required exams during training — so take the chance when it comes up. Don’t delay and try to cram them all into your final placement.

    

🔒 Mandatory Intimate Examinations

By the end of ST3, you must have been directly observed and signed off as competent in all of the following mandatory intimate examinations:

• 🫴 Breast examination
  
  
• 🍑 Rectal examination
  
  
• 🌰 Prostate examination
  
  
• 👩‍⚕️ Female genital examination – bimanual
  
  
• 👩‍⚕️ Female genital examination – speculum
  
  
• 🍆 Male genital examination
  

Each of these must be observed by a suitably trained professional and signed off using a CEPS assessment form on FourteenFish. This is a GMC requirement for CCT.

    

🔄 Non-Intimate System Examinations

Alongside the mandatory exams, you’ll now need to demonstrate all of the other clinical exam skills across different systems.

• 🫁 Respiratory system
• 👃 Ear, Nose & Throat
• 🍽️ Abdominal system
• ❤️ Cardiovascular system
• 🦴 Musculoskeletal system
• 🧠 Neurological system
• 👶 Child examination (1–5 years)

          

✍️ How to Do a CEPS Assessment on FourteenFish

Here’s how to get a CEPS assessment done and recorded:

🧑‍⚕️ Step 1: Be observed
Ask your supervisor or another suitably trained professional to chaperone and observe you performing an examination during a clinic session or ward round.

🧾 Step 2: If they’re happy, complete the form
Once observed and you're both satisfied with the assessment, log it on FourteenFish:

🖱️ Step-by-step:

• Go to your Portfolio main page
  
  
• Scroll to Learning Assessments
  
  
• Click Clinical Examination and Procedural Skills
  
  
• Then click ‘Request CEPS Assessment’ in the top navigation bar
• Select the relevant skill from the drop-down list
• Invite your assessor to complete it

🗂️ You can also write additional log entries reflecting on what you did well or what you’d do differently next time - these can be linked to the CEPS capability.

         

💡 Tips for CEPS Success

💡 Always get a chaperone for intimate exams. This is to protect you as much as it is to protect the patient. 

💡 Don’t leave it late - space out CEPS across ST1–ST3. Don’t rely on your final GP placement to tick everything off.

💡 Mix it up - ensure you show competence in a range of systems. Aim for variety in every placement.

💡 Review your gaps - the CEPS page on FourteenFish shows a helpful table of what’s been done and what’s still pending.

    

📎 Next Up

Download the full Revise GP Portfolio Checklist to track all your ST1–ST3 requirements — including CEPS, CbDs, CATs, and more:

📥 [Download the Revise GP Portfolio Checklist Tool]