The clinical exam preparation program starts after the written examination in the lead up to the clinical exam. It consists of 9 different domains which run in parallel to each other designed to prepare trainees for both their long and short cases.

Prep Week

A dedicated week of daily practical sessions which demonstrate the basics of a 7 minute physical examination across each specialty.

Wednesday Clinical Teaching

Protected teaching during this time focuses on particular long/short case topics which come up commonly in the exam.

Rostered shorts and longs

Each trainee receives an individualised roster, allocating them weekly group short cases, as well as individual long and short case practice with consultants and advanced trainees.

Morning cases

Trainees are encouraged to find and examine patients in groups before and after work, assessing one another as they go.
Learning from one another is a major way in which you improve in the lead up to the exam.

Mentor program

All trainees are allocated both a consultant and AT mentor for the duration of their clinical training. These people provide emotional support throughout the training, and also act as an extra point of contact for shorts and longs as needed.

SCORPIOS (Structured, Clinical, Objective Referenced, Problem-based, Integrated and Organized)

Dedicated short case teaching run with real volunteer patients aimed at demonstrating the key clinical features of pathology not often seen in a day to day ward setting. These are held for Cardiology, Respiratory, Neurology, Rheumatology, Gastroenterology, Haematology and Endocrinology.

Saturday cases

Run every Saturday from the beginning of the clinical preparation program these sessions are designed to emulate the conditions of the real exam. Cases are run in a clinic setting under exam conditions with consultant assessors.

Trainees collect and consent patients in the week leading up to the Saturday and the patients are transported to the clinic with ward clerk and nursing support.

Neurology Short Case teaching

Neurology short cases can be challenging to master, given the high complexity of patients and the rarity of some neurological conditions. The neurology department therefore run weekly short cases, with dedicated consultant lead teaching based on the interesting patients who are admitted each week.

Trial Exam

Each trainee sits a trial examination under true exam conditions with examination assistant (bulldog) support. Outpatients are consented and transported to the hospital for the trial exam. Each short or long case is examined using the College marking guidelines by two examiners in the same way as during the real college exam.

Trainees are given their scaled mark along with feedback.