Two training programmes, Intermediate and Advanced, were approved initially by the parent Colleges. Following the award of specialty status to ICM, the Specialist Training Authority in April 2002 agreed proposals for a programme of training leading to the award of a CCST (now CCT) in ICM (awarded with the CCST in the main specialty). The CCT programme is essentially the Advanced programme in terms of content and duration, but must be followed in a post prospectively designated for the purpose of delivering training to the CCT in ICM.

The training components required during the programme(s), with indicative timeframes, are:

• Basic training: 3 months basic SHO/CT level ICM.
• Complementary Specialty training: 6 months SHO/CT level acute general medicine for an anaesthetist, 6 months anaesthesia for a physician (with an additional 3 months general medicine for emergency medicine trainees), both for a trainee surgeon.
• Step 1/Intermediate training: 6 months general adult ICM as an SpR/StR, in blocks of no less than 3 months, in ICU's recognised for training purposes by the Intercollegiate Board.
• Step 2/Advanced training: 12 further months of SpR/StR training in ICM, in blocks of no less than 3 months duration, in recognised units
• 10 expanded case summaries: Submitted at local level. More information can be found in Part II of The CCT in Intensive Care Medicine. Guidance on case summaries can be found here and further examples are on the trainee division of the ICS website.

For the award of the CCT in ICM a further requirement is satisfactory completion of a training programme leading to the award of a CCT in a main specialty (anaesthesia, a medical specialty, emergency medicine, or an acute surgical specialty).