Tips: Yaseen

• The good thing about this is that you can book a centre in Pakistan, hence there is no need to travel, which will save a lot of money. Although you might miss the adventures of the travelling part, I went to Singapore (the first time out of the country), and it was a terrific few days. 

• You don’t need to prepare for a few months or need 100 days of leave (by the way, no department will give you that either). Two or three months of casual study along with your shifts might be more than enough; it is variable for people, depending on how busy and committed they are with other things. 

• The MRCEM Primary examination will consist of a 3-hour, multiple-choice question (MCQ) paper of 180 single best answer questions (SBAQ). 

• In these three months, in the last two weeks, you need to glue your ... with the chair and sit somewhere where no one can bother you.

Resources:

• MRCEM Success for Primary subscription for 2 months (if your subscription expires early, like a week ago, you can request them; they are professionals and will extend that for you).

OR

• MRCEM Primary Exam Prep (I used the former, but some of my friends bought this one with the same result—passed on the first attempt).

The important part is you don't need to memorise these SBAs; rather, take your time with the explanation because none of them will come in the actual exam word for word. Instead, the topics you covered will help.

• This exam is considered somewhat necessary to cover the breadth of EM topics. But don't worry, if I managed this, you can certainly get through it too. 

• The MRCEM Intermediate SBA examination consists of a multiple-choice question (MCQ) paper with 180 single best answer questions (SBAQ). The examination is delivered as two, two-hour examination papers, each containing 90 questions. The two papers are delivered on the same day with a one-hour break in between.

Resources:

• MRCEM Success for Intermediate subscription for 2 months should suffice.

and

• MRCEM Intermediate Exam Prep (as these subscriptions are not free and represent a significant expense for those of us working in Pakistan, you can work around this; DM me for more information).

Below resources are optional but will help you pass the exam confidently:

• Bromley FRCEM Intermediate videos 

• Good Medical Practice GMC

• RCEM Learning

Some might suggest books to read. I did not; it's entirely up to you.

The MRCEM OSCE consists of 16 eight-minute stations, with one minute of reading time between stations. There are also two rest stations in the exam.

Resources:

• MRCEM 125 OSCE Stations book by Kiran Somani and Nitin Jain.

• Another book for self-assessment by Oxford Specialty and MRCEM OSCE by Chetan Trivedy, Matthew Hall, et al.

One book is usually more than enough. The most important thing is that you need a study buddy for this exam to pass. You and your buddy for preparation need to act as actor and candidate alternately and time your stations. A vigorous practice of two to three weeks should work.

Another big hint is, near your exam, if you are doing your ED shifts, see each patient in exam mode, time yourself, follow exam patterns, counselling, teaching your junior in a way that you are in exam mode. Practice, practice, and practice.

OSCE preparation courses: Well, these have questionable benefits and are costly, but if you have resources in hand and your trust/hospital is giving you a refund for these courses, go for it. 

• Recommended ones are, if you are abroad i.e., Ireland, UK, Bromley emergency OSCE course might be helpful as the actors are very professional and some of them sit in RCEM exams, and the station structure is very updated and similar to the syllabus so you can have two days of real feel of exam. 

• Hani MRCEM OSCE course if you are in the Middle East/near Dubai KSA (You can search on his Facebook page).

• The examination consists of 180 SBA questions presented across two papers, each lasting two hours. An hour's break is provided in the middle of the exam. 

• It has resemblance to the Intermediate level but focuses more on management, communication, and leadership aspects. 

• When answering, you are expected to behave like a senior trainee/middle-grade doctor on the shop floor. Therefore, the mindset while answering these questions is important.

Resources:

• The FRCEM syllabus, available on the RCEM website, is a helpful read.

• RCEM Learning: I prepared exclusively from this. Keep in mind the following are the areas you need to work on:

  • RCEM learning sessions in order of Specialty Learning outcomes as per the syllabus (this is a huge resource, you will have access as you are already MRCEM now; will add to your CPD as well). Sessions from 2018 onwards should be enough.

  • SBA: More than 100 SBAs on the RCEM Learning website, again access to members only.

  • SAQ: Although the paper is SBA type, this will cover a huge chunk of topics.

  • Research sessions in RCEM learning are usually enough for critical appraisal questions.

Preparation courses:

• If you have a good amount in hand or the hospital pays for your courses, don’t hesitate to book one.

• Bromley Emergency Courses, virtual or face-to-face, do practice 2 days on SBA and revise most of the topics of the syllabus.

• Hani Waheb also runs a course, and some of my colleagues who have taken that course speak highly of it.

Again, it has similarities with MRCEM OSCE preparation, but with a slightly different mindset. You are expected to behave like a first-day ED consultant while dealing with clinical and ethical scenarios rather than as a middle grade.

Exam day structure:

The FRCEM OSCE exam assesses the complex and challenging situations faced in Emergency Medicine practice. 

The exam consists of 16 stations, each with an 8-minute duration. An additional one minute is provided for reading time between the stations. 

Practice, practice, and practice. Thanks to Zoom and Teams, they can help you prepare with your buddy virtually. 

Doing your shifts with an exam mindset and following the steps when dealing with real patients will help you develop more coordination and reflexes.

Resources:

• FRCEM OSCE 125 Cases Book for preparation.

• Oxford Specialty book for the final OSCE.

Courses: (Optional)

• Bromley Emergency Medicine course for FRCEM OSCE preparation: 2 days, an exhaustive course with a real exam taste.

• Other courses are also available, depending on your personal choice.

Dr. Muhammad Yaseen

• FRCEM, FCPS, MBBS

• Higher Specialty Trainee, Emergency Medicine, United Kingdom