MRCPCH Clinical exam preparation

Overview

The teaching faculty is comprised of highly experienced paediatricians. This elite team will help you to have a better grasp of the assessment criteria as well as identifying and explaining the skills needed to succeed at each station. It will also address areas of practice you may find difficult, such as how to conduct a developmental assessment.

The course is highly interactive with videos demonstrations of each station, discussions and workshops with role play with professional actors (Day 2 only). This course also provides a safe learning environment to encourage you to ask questions and share good practice with others preparing for the exam.

Day 1- Online

Day 1 will be held via Zoom and consist of highly specialised advice and discussions from experts on each of the exam stations: 

• Communication
• Short Clinical
• Child Development 
• Video
• History Taking and Management Planning

There will also be pre-recorded footage showing good examples of how to approach each station. You will have the opportunity to speak to the paediatric experts and ask questions about each station. 

Please note the start time for this session (7am BST) – this has been organised to support attendance from international exam candidates.

Day 2 – In person at RCPCH in London

Day 2 will give you the opportunity to put all that you learnt during Day 1 into practice. You will be given the opportunity to practice the following stations:

• Communication
• Child Development 
• Video
• History Taking and Management Planning

Please note: We will not be holding practice stations for the Short Clinical station. This is because we do not wish for children to be missing nursery/school to participate in the course. However there will be videos and discussions about how you can practise the skills required for the Short Clinical station in your everyday work during Day 1 of the course. 

All workshops (except Video) will involve actors just as in the exam and you will receive feedback from our expert clinicians on your performance. There will also be an opportunity to discuss final concerns with faculty at the end of the day.  

Speakers' knowledge is great in terms of how we are answering questions and guiding candidates to avoid the pitfalls.

Aim

To equip paediatric trainees with the knowledge and skills to succeed in the MRCPCH Clinical exam.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, you will:

• Be fully aware of the exam format and what to expect in their assessment on the various stations
• Have developed a clear understanding and familiarity of the assessment criteria and its application in the exam
• Have a clearer understanding of what is required to pass each station through knowledge of the assessment criteria
• Understand the common pitfalls and how to avoid them 
• Be able to reflect on the content, knowledge and further revision needed to ensure success in the MRCPCH Clinical exam
   

I will definitely be applying as many of the teachings as possible in my practice between now and the exam to help prepare for the exam.

Audience 

MRCPCH Clinical exam candidates preparing for the Spring 2024 exams

The speakers were excellent in their delivery of the course material. Huge thanks!

Technical requirements (for Day 1 only)

• Windows or Mac computer (laptop/desktop or tablet)
• An internet connection – broadband wired or wireless (3G or 4G/LTE). Minimum bandwidth is 600kbps (up/down) and recommended is 1.5 Mbps (up/down)
• Microphone and speaker - either using:
  • the built-in microphone/speaker
  • a headset connected to your laptop/desktop or tablet
• Webcam - either using:
  • the built-in webcam
  • separate webcam connected to your laptop/desktop or tablet

Well delivered, well run course. Very informative and non-judgmental environment