Get Through Primary FRCA: MTFs PDF

INTRODUCTION

After the successes of Get Through Final FRCA: MCQs and the examdoctor.co.uk website, it was always my plan to move on to create an MCQ book for the Primary FRCA. In many ways this is an exam like no other. It is notoriously difficult for a start. Where other subspecialties in medicine have been accused of ‘lowering the bar, even the sharpest of hawks in anaesthesia will concede that the Primary FRCA remains a very difficult exam.

Preparation must occur whilst learning and applying new skills, balancing the need for practical experience and study. It is also more than anaesthesia. Most anaesthetists will complete their training and their career having never used ether, or relied on their knowledge of precisely how a LASER is generated. These questions can seem cruel when balancing working over weekends and nights, exam preparation and (hopefully) a personal life.

Writing as someone who has recently completed training, I can tell you that it is all worth it. The FRCA takes a lot out of you over the first few years of training but the rewards are vast, not least the confidence of being able to apply your knowledge to all manner of tasks. The FRCA is your framework for the rest of your career.

James Day and I were editors for examdoctor, and it took us no time to select the authors we wanted to work with for this book. James Day, Amy Thomson and Tamsin McAllister have been excellent authors and have taken great care to cover the entire FRCA syllabus. In addition, they have stuck with the Hodder formula of including references for further reading with each question for those who wish to use the question as a platform for further reading. They should take a lot of pride in having produced an excellent body of work.

In addition to the five papers, we have included a special section that summarizes many of the formulae, units and normal values required in your learning. Although the list is by no means exhaustive, we believe that this chapter will be useful for both the written component and the Structured Oral Examinations (SOEs).

I have enjoyed editing this book and have learned much that I confess I did not know. I hope you find it a valuable resource.

Good luck for your forthcoming exam and beyond