As a medical student, you will encounter a lot of assessments and examinations of different kinds. While this can be quite stressful to keep up with, it becomes a lot clearer once you take the time to understand the system and what you should be preparing for. You will come across both written and practical assessments during your time studying medicine, and both forms require knowledge and preparation.
As part of the MRCP exam, you will undergo a Part 2 Clinical Examination. This is otherwise known as a PACES exam; Practical Assessment of Clinical Examination Skills. It is designed to test clinical knowledge and the skills of trainees who hope to enter higher specialist training and continue in their field.
This exam ensures that all trainees are competent and ready to provide a high standard of care for patients.
Format of a PACES exam
Practical assessments can be stressful in the sense that you will be observed by examiners there and then, but if you know what to expect then you should be able to prepare accordingly and complete the exam without many mishaps. The PACES exam lasts half a day and takes place in a clinical setting; either a hospital or clinical skills centre. The PACES exam has two independent examiners at each station; they will observe and evaluate your performance. There is also a patient with a given condition or a trained stand-in at each station.
In your PACES exam, you will encounter 5 different stations. Spending 20 minutes at each before moving on to the next, each station will test something different. Known as the carousel, the format of your PACES exam will go as follows.
Station 1 consists of respiratory and abdominal, spending 10 minutes on each before moving to the next station. Station 2 is 20 minutes of history taking, while station 3 consists of cardiovascular and neurological. Station 4 includes the likes of communication skills and ethics, and finally station 5 includes two brief clinical consultations.
Tested skills
The stations are designed to test a range of skills and ensure you meet rigorous standards, meaning when you pass the PACES exam you can be confident in knowing you are meeting targets set by the MRCPUK (Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom).
There are 7 specific skills that are tested within the stations, including identifying physical signs, clinical communication and managing patient’s concerns. Other skills the examiners will be looking at are clinical judgement and maintaining patient welfare.
Preparing yourself for exams
As with any exam, it is important to give yourself enough time to go over the right material and ensure you feel confident enough before the day of your assessment.
There are a number of different resources available to you when it comes to preparing for exams, whether it is a written assessment or practical examination. Everyone revises differently but a very effective method can be to take advantage of online materials as they are easy to access and you can pick up where you left off whenever you have spare time.
Fundamental skills such as time management and staying calm under pressure are important to remember especially in a practical exam.
For all your revision materials and online courses, get in touch with Pastest today.
If you are a medical student, why not share your any experiences or advice below to help others out?
Leave a Reply