Transcript nMRCGP
Dr Mark Feldman
Money
AKT
CSA
Become AiT
£492
AKT
£414
CSA
£1389
Fee to PMETB
£78
AKT
Computer marked ‘multiple choice’ paper
CSA
Practical assessment of consulting skills
Relevance:
The AKT should be relevant to general
practice; any topic covered can be one
which occurs commonly or one which is
significant but less common
High prevalence: Low impact e.g. URTI
High impact: Low prevalence e.g. meningitis
Topical: e.g. Controlled drugs
Clinical Evidence
Cochrane Database
BNF
GP Curriculum
NICE
SIGN
BMJ Review articles & original papers
BJGP
DTB
Core clinical medicine and its application to
problem solving in a general practice context
◦ 80% of items
Critical appraisal and evidence based clinical
practice
◦ 10% of items
Ethical and legal issues as well as the
organisational structures that support UK general
practice
◦ 10% of items
Regulatory frameworks
Legal aspects, e.g. DVLA
Social services, e.g. Certification
Professional regulation, e.g. GMC
Business aspects, e.g. GP contract
Prescribing, e.g. Controlled drugs
Appropriate use of resources, e.g. drugs
Health & Safety, e.g. needlestick injury
Ethical, e.g. Mental capacity, consent
Know latest guidelines
Know the BNF
Know basic stats
Your core medical knowledge is probably
already sufficient.
1102 candidates
Mean score
Top Score
Pass mark
Pass rate
Pass rate ST2
Pass rate ST3
71%
92%
63.3%
83.8%
86.3%
83.8%
Clinical medicine 74%
Evidence interpretation 68.2%
Administration 60.1%
Asthma – in childhood
Breast and skin disorders
Certification
Fitness to work and drive
Emergency medicine
You must bring:
BNF, Stethoscope, Ophthalmoscope,
Auroscope, Thermometer, Patella hammer,
Sphygmomanometer (aneroid or electronic),
Tape measure, Peak flow meter and
disposable mouthpieces
There are no spares at the exam centre
Anything else you need is provided
You have your own room.
You have a list of patients – your ‘surgery’ for the
morning.
The list contains brief info about the patient.
It may or may not include PMH, drugs etc.
You probably wont know why they are coming.
You have never seen the patient before – but
colleagues might have.
Buzzer will sound and patient and examiner
come in.
You have 10mins after which buzzer will sound
again. Anything said or done after this will not
count. The patient and examiner then leave.
There is no ‘1min/2min’ warning buzzer.
There is a 2 minute break between patients.
There is a 15min break after 7 patients seen.
The examiner sits out of your line of site.
Examiner does not participate in the
consultation. Ignore them.
All patients are played by actors who have
been well briefed beforehand
They will almost certainly not have any
physical signs to elicit on examination
If you want to examine the patient say so
and say what you are going to examine.
If they are testing this exam technique they will
let you go ahead.
They will then give you the exam findings.
If they are not testing this exam they will just
give you the findings and tell you not to
examine.
They will only give you results of exams you say
you will do.
Examination is what you would normally do
as a GP.
This means a lot of it can be done with the
patient sitting in the chair.
It does not have to be exhaustive.
Eg. Chest exam – percussion and auscultation
is fine.
Any investigation results will be on the table in
front of you or, more likely, will be brought in
by the patient.
It will list normal levels so you don’t have to
remember them.
Abnormal findings will be common GP tests.
Eg. Hb, HbA1c, urinalysis etc.
It will not be anything obscure.
If you want to prescribe a drug you don’t have
to write a prescription
All you need do is say
Eg. I will give you omeprazole 20mg once a day.
This is as good as having written it.
There are prescription pads on the table. Do not
let these distract you.
DON’T WRITE ANYTHING DOWN
There is no time
The prescription will be marked
There is no penalty for just saying it
You have to say what you are giving anyway
The same applies for blood tests and sick
notes and any other forms you might write.
Just say what you will do.
If you want to make a referral, ask the patient
to wait in the waiting room and you will bring
the letter/form out to them.
Leaflets can be ‘collected from reception’
You have 10 minutes per case.
‘Shows poor time management’ is a reason
they can fail you at the station.
And they will.
You MUST be consulting at 10 minutes.
Each case is marked in 3 domains :
◦ Data gathering, examination and clinical
assessment skills
◦ Clinical management skills
◦ Interpersonal skills
All domains have equal weighting
Do not spend 8 minutes on history and
examination – you will fail the station.
But those domains have no meaning…
What are they actually looking for?
DATA-GATHERING, TECHNICAL &
ASSESSMENT SKILLS
Gathering & using data for clinical judgement
Choice of examination
Investigations & their interpretation
Demonstrating proficiency in performing
physical examinations & using diagnostic and
therapeutic instruments
CLINICAL MANAGEMENT SKILLS
Recognition & management of common
medical conditions in primary care
Demonstrating a structured & flexible
approach to decision-making.
Demonstrating the ability to deal with
multiple complaints and co-morbidity.
Demonstrating the ability to promote a
positive approach to health
INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
Demonstrating the use of recognised
communication techniques to gain
understanding of the patient's illness
experience and develop a shared approach to
managing problems.
Practising ethically with respect for equality &
diversity issues, in line with the accepted
codes of professional conduct.
The grades will be on a four point scale:
Clear Pass
Marginal Pass
Marginal Fail
Clear Fail
There are no merits or ‘grades’ at the end
for the exam as a whole.
You pass or fail.
Disorganised and unsystematic in gathering
information from history taking, examination and
investigation
Does not identify abnormal findings or results or
fails to recognise their implications
Data gathering does not appear to be guided by
the probabilities of disease
Does not undertake physical examination
competently, or use instruments proficiently
Does not make appropriate diagnosis
Does not develop a management plan (including
prescribing and referral) that is appropriate and in
line with current best practice.
Follow-up arrangements and safety netting are
inadequate
Does not demonstrate an awareness of
management of risk, and health promotion
Does not identify patient’s agenda, health beliefs &
preferences / does not make use of verbal & nonverbal cues
Does not develop a shared management plan or
clarify the roles of doctor and patient
Does not use explanations that are relevant and
understandable to the patient
Does not show sensitivity for the patient’s feelings
in all aspects of the consultation including physical
examination
Disorganised / unstructured consultation
Does not recognise the challenge (e.g. the
patient’s problem, ethical dilemma etc.)
Shows poor time management
Shows inappropriate doctor - centeredness
Be in general practice for a few months
Consult at ten minutes
Be Flexible
Scales of the consultation - Weigh your words
[ not too many closed questions]
The magic questions
◦ What can I do for you today ...?
Silence / body language
◦ Is there anything else?
Silence / body language
◦ Have you any thoughts / worries about what this
might be ?