Passing the FRACP clinical exam
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It's time to practice that s#@t!
Basics
Outline
1. Basics and books
2. The short case
3. The long case
Passing the FRACP clinical exam
Essentials
Books
Know your signs and demonstrate it
Know what you test means
Don't test the same thing 3 ways
Signs as a clinical complex/syndrome
Examination Medicine: A Guide to Physician Training - Talley and O'Connor.
250 Cases in Clinical Medicine, 4e - Baliga.
Mastering the Medical Long Case, 2e - Jayasinghe.
The Rational Clinical Examination: Evidence-Based Clinical Diagnosis - JAMA
Evidence-Based Physical Diagnosis: Expert Consult - McGee
The Neurology Short-Case - Morris
- Dress well but comfortably
- Don't be cocky or cower
- Clear and concise
- Logical and reasonable
- Talk to your strengths and discuss how to explore your uncertainty
- Relate back to your patient
- Polite but determined
- Practice, practice, practice
Must pass at least one short case and one long case.
1-7 on a ruler scale
You need to know stuff - the clinically applicable stuff
You need to critique - suck it up!
The short case
Develop a routine for every scenario
Make sure your examination is within the time
Practice on every patient you see
No fixed way of presenting
Plan out your answers to likely questions.
Bits you must mention
The long case
Functional status, fears/planning and living options
Relationships
Views on their diagnosis and treatment
Goals of life/time remaining/end of life care
Screening opportunities/preventing diagnostic harm.
The money is here!!
Make sure you have a proforma and its logical to read out.
Ask the patient to help you.
Outside the room you should be writing global point of discussion only.
Lead the examiners to the questions you want to answer