CRC OSCES MRCS PT B PDF

Preface

This book has been written as an accompaniment to Bailey and Love's Short Practice of Surgery with the MRCS examination in mind. It is dedicated to the MRCS Part B Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), which is the final part of the Intercollegiate MRCS examination. This new examination was introduced in the autumn of 2008 and replaces the MRCS Part 3 Viva and Clinical Examination. It was developed to reflect the changes in postgraduate surgical training in the UK and is approved by the Postgraduate Medical Education Training Board (PMETB). This exam is designed and set by the Royal Colleges of Surgeons to test the knowledge, skills and attributes acquired during core surgical training. Successful completion of the MRCS will then allow surgical trainees to progress to ST3 in their chosen subspecialty.

Achieving success in the MRCS OSCE requires a thorough basic understanding of clinical medicine, professional examination and technical skills, problem-solving and decision-making, as well as excellent bedside manner and people skills. It is not difficult to appear hesitant and unintelligent under exam duress, even for the most gifted among us. However, a precise, structured and systematic approach can easily transform the nervous candidate into one who appears confident, dynamic and multi-dimensional. A planned strategic approach thus ensures that candidates are equipped with the essential tools to face any challenge they may face.

The MRCS OSCE can be likened to a circuit training course, in that the stations are quick and candidates must immediately switch into their new task at the ring of a bell. It is inevitable that adrenaline is running high but, in our experience, it is those candidates who channel these emotions in a positive way who emerge with a positive MRCS OSCE result.

This book is based on our highly successful Insider Medical MRCS Part B OSCE Course, and the feedback obtained from candidates who have sat the exam. We have therefore written this book with the aim of targeting high-yield topics that are likely to be faced and offer methods to tackle the challenges that may be posed in the exam. We have drawn from our breadth of experience of teaching at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels and have identified common pitfalls. We therefore also include top tips on getting through those tricky situations which can often be the fine line between success and failure.

We are confident that this book will assist any trainee surgeon to sail through the MRCS OSCE with ease and we hope to make the time taken to prepare for the exam that much more enjoyable and rewarding. Our desired outcome is to secure the future of surgical science and practice, by guiding trainee surgeons in their quest for mastering their art.