Programme

Welcome to MRCS part B: Secrets to Success!

MRCS Part B courseWe are dedicated to preparing you well for the viva exam. We want you to pass first time! Our faculty is familiar with the exam format and has designed a course that delivers a delicate balance between knowledge and skill. 

Feedback from other courses around the UK has been:

  • Too many lectures
  • Not enough small group learning
  • Not enough practice

But at MRCS Success, we believe that knowledge is best learnt through implementation and that skill is best learnt through practice and feedback.

To gain the most out of the course, we ask candidates to have started their revision for the knowledge based section at least, and have a grasp of some surgical anatomy, pathology and critical care.  

The Exam

The MRCS part B exam consists of 18 stations, each lasting 9 minutes. Each station carries a total of 20 marks, with the whole exam totaling to 360 marks. The stations are split over two broad sections: Knowledge (8 stations) and skills (10 stations). Candidates must pass both sections in order to pass the whole exam.

The breakdown of the stations are:

  • 3 x anatomy
  • 3 x pathology/microbiology knowledge
  • 2 x critical care
  • 2 x communication skills
  • 2 x procedural skills skills
  • 2 x history taking
  • 4 x examinations

We warn candidates against focusing just on stations which in they are comfortable and neglecting the rest, in the hope that their marks will carry them forward. This risks having disastrous consequences. We advise candidates to aim to maximise their marks in every station. By preparing well for both the skills and knowledge sections candidates maximise their opportunity to pass the exam.

Good luck with your revision!

Structure of the course

The MRCS Success course is run over 3 days and is specifically designed to be as interactive and informative as possible.

The course aims to:

  • Maximise your familiarity with the exam format
  • Give intensive revision on anatomy, pathology and critical care
  • Help refine your examination, procedural and communication skills
  • Give ample opportunities for viva and skill practice
  • Provide ongoing feedback so that you improve during the course

Lunch and refreshments will be provided throughout all the days.

Day 1

MRCS part B courseAnatomy

The first day begins in the dissection room at Queen Mary University. We will use cadaveric prosections and models to revise surgical orientated anatomy, as will be tested in the exam. Small groups will rotate around stations covering:

  • Head and neck
  • Spine
  • Chest
  • Abdomen
  • Upper limb
  • Lower Limb

Critical Care

MRCS part B courseThis will comprise a short lecture revising the basic theories required to understand critical care for the exam including:

  • Fluid & electrolyte balance
  • Transfusion
  • Ventilation
  • Circulatory support
  • Sepsis
  • Hypothermia, coagulopathy and acidosis

Small group tutorials will then facilitate case based discussions, similar to the exam, with opportunities for viva.

Day 2

MRCS Part B courseExamination Skills

We know that candidates will be familiar with these patient examinations from medical school and their own clinical practice. The aim of this session will be to tailor the exam technique for the exam itself and review common viva questions in these stations. We will particularly look at:

  • Abdomen and hernias
  • Shoulder, elbow, hand, hip and knee
  • Arterial and venous
  • Neck exam (including thyroid)
  • Spine and neurological

Candidates will be observed and critiqued on their exam techniques and presentation skills.

Communication Skills

MRCS Part B courseA short lecture will run through the key secrets to pass the two types of station in this category: Communication over phone with senior, communication with patient/relative

Small group exercise will then facilitate the running through a number of difficult communication scenarios with candidates being critiqued on their skills.

Procedural Skills

MRCS Part B courseA series of small workshops will enable candidates to practise and be given feedback on common skills tested in the exam, including:

  • Knot tying
  • Excision biopsy
  • FNA
  • Chest drainage
  • List ordering
  • ATLS

Day 3

MRCS Part B courseHistory Taking

There will be a short introduction on the best way to tackle these stations and the viva. Candidates will then be assessed in small groups on a number of classic MRCS history scenarios.

Pathology Revision

MRCS Part B courseSmall group tutorials on some of the commonly assessed surgical pathology including:

  • Vascular
  • GI
  • Breast
  • Microbiology
  • Cancer

Mock Exam

MRCS Part B courseThis will be the final part of the course where candidates can implement all the skills they have learnt during the sessions. Whilst we will not run a full complement of stations like the real exam (see “The exam” section) candidates will still get a flavour of the real thing. We will run 9 stations:

  • 2 x anatomy
  • 1 x critical care
  • 1 x pathology
  • 1 x comm skill
  • 1 x procedure skill
  • 2 x examination
  • 1 x history

Feedback and certificates will be distributed at the end.