The Undergraduate Procedural Skills Assessments (UPSAs) are a GMC requirement for graduation and represent the core procedural skills required to practice as a Foundation Doctor.

There are 9 new UPSAs exclusively for Year 5 (N14 -N22). These are detailed below along with the level of competence that is required in order to graduate.

UPSA	Description	Competency Level
N14	Take blood for culture	2
N15	Take a blood gas sample from the radial artery	2
N16	Set up an IV infusion and connect to patient	2
N17	Prepare and administer parenteral medication	2
N18	Simulate the process involved in giving a blood transfusion	1
N19	Insert a male urethral catheter	2
N20	Provide basic wound care and apply dressings	2
N21	Simulate placement of an NG tube and check correct position	1
N22	Safely use topical or injected local anaesthetics; be aware of toxic doses	2

N18 and N21 will be taught and assessed in a simulated setting and require a competency level 1 sign off for graduation (safe to practice in a simulated environment). The rest of the UPSA will need to have level 2 sign off by graduation (safe to practice under direct supervision).

Please note: as of academic year 2025/2026, UPSA N1-N10 will need to be repeated in year 5. This is regardless of the competency level achieved in year 3. This will enable you to demonstrate ongoing professional development in your procedural skills.

Important: If you are repeating a year or have had some time out of programme AND were previously on the old M-UPSA system please contact your sector year lead and the clinical skills lead at the start of the year to discuss your individual requirements.

All students

The aim of UPSAs is to assess your level of competency in performing procedural skills on real patients in the clinical environment. This is the best way to prepare you for the transition into Foundation Training. They also provide an excellent opportunity to receive immediate feedback and should be viewed as positive learning experiences.

In order to keep on schedule, you need to complete at least 4-6 UPSAs per clinical placement in GP, surgery, medicine and acute illness blocks. You will need to plan ahead and think about which UPSAs can be achieved in which block, taking into account not only your Year 5 UPSA, but also the year 3 UPSA (N1-10) which will need to be repeated.

It is your responsibility to complete all of the required UPSA by the end of your clinical placements; students not completing them by this point will be deemed unsatisfactory in their clinical placement blocks overall. If all UPSAs are not completed by the end of block 6, a full 4 week remedial block 7 will be required, with the main purpose of completing the UPSAs. Failure to complete UPSAs during this extra block will mean you cannot pass the year and will be unable to graduate.

Please refer to the further  information in the handbook on the completion of UPSAs , and to 1MedInfo Year 5 logbook page for the UPSA requirements for Year 5. The complete UPSA list can be found here.