the 2013 MRCS examination: an update

2013 ◽  
Vol 95 (5) ◽  
pp. 166-167
Author(s):  
Peter A Brennan ◽  
Stephen Hills ◽  
Michael Parker

The Intercollegiate Committee for Basic Surgical Examinations (ICBSE) has, with the approval of the General Medical Council (GMC), driven the continued evolution of the Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS). Since the introduction in September 2008 of the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) – Part B of the MRCS – there have been a number of changes and the first diet of the latest version was held in February 2013.

1997 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Brewin ◽  
Roch Cantwell

The undergraduate medical curriculum in Nottingham has recently undergone dramatic change in response to General Medical Council recommendations. As part of the changes, the examination procedure in psychiatry has been altered, replacing the clinical ‘long case’ with an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). The OSCE has long been seen as a valuable assessment tool in more ‘procedure-orientated’ specialities, but its use in psychiatry is not widely reported. This paper discusses the reasons behind the change, the design and implementation of the OSCE, and benefits and problems encountered during its first application.


2004 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 62-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asim Naeem ◽  
Joan Rutherford ◽  
Chris Kenn

In line with the Royal College of Psychiatrists' commitment to improve its professional examinations based on the best current evidence, Spring 2003 has seen the introduction of the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). This has replaced the individual patient assessment (IPA) in the MRCPsych Part I clinical examination. An OSCE consists of a series of time-limited clinical tasks that candidates have to perform in a consecutive series of ‘stations' or booths. They have the advantage of being able to test clinical competence using a number of different scenarios via a standardised format (Katona et al, 2000). Their use has become widespread over recent years, particularly in undergraduate psychiatry exams (Brewin & Cantwell, 1997), as they have good reliability and validity (Hodges et al, 1998). This was confirmed by the College's initial pilot OSCE, which had a κ score of around 0.8 for the examination as a whole (Oyebode, 2002).


1992 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. 628-629
Author(s):  
Brian Ferguson

In February 1991 the Royal College of Physicians produced a report entitled ‘Fraud and Misconduct in Medical Research’. Most of the cases documented have come from the United States but by the end of 1988 five cases had been formally reported in Britain. One of these was a financial fraud perpetrated by a psychiatrist who worked in a district general hospital in the Northern Region and who forged data for a drug company. He was subsequently reported to the General Medical Council by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry and had his name removed from the medical register. Informal investigations, however, suggest that fraudulent research might be more widespread and as a result the Royal College of Physicians established a working party to look at this issue in detail. They recommended that a twin track approach of prevention and thorough management of complaints of misconduct be adopted. The report was kindly forwarded to the Research Committee of the Royal College of Psychiatrists which felt that a summary of these recommendations should be widely published among researchers in psychiatry.


2007 ◽  
Vol 89 (5) ◽  
pp. 457-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
John G Mosley

‘All doctors are problem doctors.’ R Smith 1 The surgical profession, more than any other medical specialty, is constantly in the limelight. Frequently, concerns are expressed about our colleagues. The concerns may be personality clashes rather than failure in behaviour or performance. Most concerns can be addressed locally with support from the Royal College Invited Review Mechanism of the National Clinical Assessment Service. Unfortunately, if the concern is sufficiently serious or repetitive it may warrant referral to the General Medical Council (GMC) who alone has the right to withdraw a surgeon's medical registration. The surgeon will then be unable to work in the medical profession in this country. The procedures the the surgeon must undergo if referred to the GMC are stressful and protracted. Even if successful the surgeon will probably be expected to undergo a period of retraining that will prove difficult to arrange. New proposals to modify the GMC procedures will reduce the standard of proof to one of ‘balance of probabilities’. The surgical profession should be accountable to its patients and colleagues. Will our Royal College rise to the challenge to establish itself as the bulwark of the surgical profession?


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