Nocturnale

The second diet of the MRCP(UK) PACES examination is just around the corner. Google Analytics showed a recent surge of traffic on Nocturnale.com with many visitors perusing articles pertaining to PACES. I reckoned since so many of you out there are hungry for information, I thought I could share a little more tips on this subject. Ergo, this article on how you can squeeze out the maximum benefit from attending a PACES course, something that most prospective examinees would want to do to attune themselves to the killer clinical examination. 

1. You Must Come Prepared

I cannot stress this enough. Perhaps the most important prerequisite to profiting from a PACES course is good decent preparation. You may not necessarily have seen a wide variety of cases, but your clinical approach and physical examination techniques must be flawless. Only by arming yourself with this impeccable routine of examination will you be able to concentrate your attention in toto on eliciting and interpreting signs.

2. Don’t Gloat. Learn from their Mistakes

If you have previously attended a PACES course, you will know there are usually four to five candidates to a group. One of you will examine the case and the rest will scrutinize the ‘victim’ with all their critical attention. More often than not, the candidate being examined makes a fool of herself and the others revel in their thoughts, ” Wow, she is worse than a medical student.” Don’t ever ever do this. If you are one of the spectators, instead of picking holes on the poor chap, try and tell yourself what are the things that you would have done differently, actively work out in the mind what other aspects in the examination that you would want to have accomplished and how you would present the case to the examiner. In other words, be an industrious participant, not a wimpy gadfly. 

3. Don’t be Shy

You know you have invested not a small amount of money in course fees. The worst that you can do is becoming a passive, withdrawn candidate in the PACES course. Volunteer yourself to examine the patient in a particular station. By revealing yourself to the scrutiny of the tutor and your fellow candidates, you will be able to train yourself to perform under stressful conditions which is exactly what you will be doing in the real examination.

4. Ask Questions

One of things I value most is the interaction with the course tutors who are experienced clinicians, having ‘been there, done that’. I always take the opportunity to clarify issues like the finer points of presentation, examination, bedside etiquette etc. PACES courses bring together a group of senior clinicians who are there to help. So use them to the fullest! 

5. Take Notes

My memory has a peculiar way of defying me. Which is why I never fail to bring along my Moleskine whenever I attend PACES courses. I keep tab of the cases I have seen and examined by logging them onto the notebook so that I may look it up after the course. Looking back, I am grateful that I jotted down all the pearls, tips and tricks I learnt from past tutors. You will be surprised how refreshingly enlightened you may become reading back your notes a few months after the course.

I hope these tips are helpful. So good luck in your exam!